Deep Impact star Mikki Isle broke his Group One drought on Sunday when he won the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto but not without some drama.

Mikki Isle had proved he was among the best of his generation at three in 2014 with a win in the G1 NHK Mile Cup, but had gone 30 months without another G1 success.

That drought ended in Sunday’s Mile Championship where he went gate to wire and held on to win by a brave head.

Breaking sharpest from gate 16, Mikki Isle led from Neorealism but the latter loomed in the early stretch, drawing within a neck of the lead.

Mikki Isle soon disposed of that stubborn foe and had enough left to hold off a fast-finishing Isla Bonita, who nipped Neorealism for second.

Mikki Isle then had to see out a stewards’ inquiry for drifting left in the straight but was allowed to keep the win.

“I apologize for interfering with the other horses in the stretch,” said jockey Suguru Hamanaka.

“Mikki Isle ran really well and I was able to race him in front as planned.

“The horse was in good form and performed to his best in the race.”

Mikki Isle capped a five-race win streak with his NHK Mile Cup win in 2014, but was a major disappointment when beating just one home a month later in the G1 Yasuda Kinen.

He bounced back when dropped down to seven furlongs in the G2 Swan Stakes but again put in a lacklustre effort when 13th in that year’s Mile Championship.

Mikki Isle went winless in 2015 when he ostly campaigned over sprint trips.

His only on-the-board effort in five outings was a third in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen.

The bay started 2016 on a winning note, taking the G3 Hankyu Hai in February and he was not disgraced when second a month later in Takamatsunomiya Kinen.

Given a summer holiday, Mikki Isle was once again second in the G1 Sprinters Stakes on October 2 before finding his best form on Sunday.