'The culmination of a brilliant seven days' - Rob Hornby tops our weekly awards

The Racing Post's awards honour the best (and sometimes worst) performances and raise talking points from the last seven days of racing. This week's winners are . . .

Jockey of the week

Rob Hornby

A whirlwind month for the rider climaxed in spectacular style on the July course over the weekend as he ended his wait for a first domestic Group 1 win with a superb front-running ride on Prosperous Voyage in the Falmouth Stakes on Friday, before Alcohol Free sprinted to July Cup glory the next day.

Hornby already had the July course rocking on Saturday when guiding favourite Jimi Hendrix to victory in the bet365 Mile Handicap, and all his success was well deserved after missing out on another huge prize when losing the ride on Westover in the Irish Derby.

Saturday was the culmination of a brilliant week for Hornby, who had started it as he meant to go on by riding 125-1 winner Once More For Luck at Ffos Las on Tuesday.

Performance of the week

Royal Aclaim

Alcohol Free may have won the major sprint prize on Saturday, but it was the performance of another speedy filly at York half an hour later that really caught the eye.

Royal Aclaim had beaten Perfect Power on her debut last May, but then missed over a year of action before returning with an emphatic win at Bath last month to show her abundant talent had not deserted her. Faced with her toughest task yet in the Listed City Walls Stakes, she was utterly dominant under a hands-and-heels ride from Andrea Atzeni.

Trainer James Tate hailed her as the fastest he has ever trained and bookmakers quickly ran for cover as they slashed her price for the Nunthorpe Stakes next month. She could be special.

Royal Aclaim: scintillating at YorkCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Upset of the week

Inspiral's defeat

If you are getting beaten at odds of 1-7, you are probably going to be a shoo-in for this award. Inspiral's starting price did seem very short, but perhaps that is hindsight talking as there were not many willing to make a case against the previously unbeaten filly in the build-up to the Falmouth.

Cheveley Park's daughter of Frankel now has the unwanted tag of being the joint shortest-priced runner to be beaten in a Group race in Britain or Ireland since the Racing Post database started in 1988, with the fast ground and the quick turnaround from the Coronation Stakes at Ascot put forward as excuses for the defeat.

Her performance should not detract from 16-1 winner Prosperous Voyage, though, who finally exacted some revenge on Inspiral having previously been beaten on three occasions by her.

Prosperous Voyage stuns Inspiral (left) in Friday's Falmouth StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ride of the week

Dylan Kidd

At just 16 years of age, Dylan Kidd is just that – a kid in an adult's game – but he belied his total lack of experience when shocking hardened pros like Colin Keane and Chris Hayes by landing the €100,000 Nasrullah Premier Handicap on his first ride under rules at Leopardstown on Thursday.

Claiming 10lb from Jessica Harrington's Jungle Cove, Kidd pulled off a daring dart up the inside rail as the 20-1 shot battled on gamely to score by three-quarters of a length from Casanova.

Kidd described his surprise debut win as "incredible", while Harrington hailed her young jockey as a "super worker".

Debut of the week

Epictetus

This Kingman colt created a very pleasing impression on his racecourse debut at Newmarket on Friday, outperforming his 11-1 odds to comfortably account for his 12 rivals.

Owner George Strawbridge also has classy filly Free Wind in training with Epictetus's handlers John and Thady Gosden, and the combination may have another smart performer on their hands. He should more than hold his own moving into stronger company and was introduced at 33-1 for next year's Cazoo Derby.

Watch the replay of Epictetus's eyecatching debut win

Read these next:

'It won't be an alcohol-free weekend' - Rob Hornby revels in another Group 1

'We'll go again' - Inspiral camp react to filly's shock 1-7 defeat

'I couldn't believe my eyes' - stunning Royal Aclaim the new Nunthorpe favourite

Dream start as apprentice wins €100,000 race on his first ride under rules

Catch our in-depth review of the weekend's racing every Monday in the Racing Post. With big-race analysis from Classic-winning jockey George Baker, Chris Cook's take on the weekend action, eyecatchers from the Raceform team, weekly awards and much more, it is not to be missed.