Kieren Fallon and Sir Michael Stoute won the Queen Anne Stakes for the second year running as Medicean took the opening race of Royal Ascot.

Twelve months on from riding Kalanisi to victory, who he rides on Wednesday, Fallon held off the challenge of Swallow Flight to win by a neck, despite the horse carrying a five lb penalty for a previous Group One win.

Arkadian Hero ridden by Jamie Spencer finished third.

Frankie Dettori on board David Loder's Island Sands set the early pace and with two furlongs of the one mile course remaining the Henry Cecil trained favourite Shibboleth took up the pace.

But Shibboleth failed to stay the trip and Medicean came up on the rails to take the lead.

Arkadian Hero was the closest challenger going into the final furlong but Darryl Holland switched Swallow Flight to the outside and mounted a late charge.

"Five lbs stops a lot of horses but he was good enough to overcome it," said trainer Stoute.

Fallon was the leading jockey at last year's Royal meeting with four winners, despite a horrendous fall on the second day of the meeting that put him out of action for a long period.

So the Irish jockey was delighted to open the meeting with a winner.

"I got very lucky. He was lazy so I switched him over to the fence. He's a horse who usually goes to sleep with you when you go the front, but today he kept on galloping and surprised me really."

Full result: Ascot 1430 BST:
1. Medicean (K Fallon) 11-2
2. Swallow Flight (D Holland) 11-2
3. Arkadian Hero (J Spencer) 10-1
All 10 ran