'It was a long wait but we'll enjoy this' - Joseph O'Brien's Uxmal storms to Queen Alexandra success
He had to wait until the very last race, but Joseph O'Brien joined his father Aidan and brother Donnacha on this year's Royal Ascot scoreboard when Uxmal stormed to an impressive success in the Queen Alexandra Stakes.
While Aidan claimed the leading trainer title for the 13th time and Donnacha enjoyed Group 1 glory with Coronation Stakes heroine Porta Fortuna, Joseph O'Brien had endured some near-misses. However, the five-year-old ended the handler's week in style with a sublime performance under Dylan Browne McMonagle.
After Maxident set a fierce tempo before fading just before the turn for home, last year's winner Dawn Rising looked in pole position. But he was brushed aside by the 2-1 favourite two furlongs out as he galloped to a five-length success from Run For Oscar.
"It was a long wait but we'll enjoy this," O'Brien said. "There's no doubt he's a useful stayer and was impressive. We all understand how hard it is to end up in the winner's enclosure here – it's so difficult.
"This is very special for us all to have had winners here this week. We had a few placed runners and it was beginning to feel like a long week."
It was a fourth Royal Ascot win in O'Brien's training career, and a second Queen Alexandra success in a row, but it was a breakthrough first for rising star Irish jockey Browne McMonagle.
"We had to wait a while and we'd been hitting the crossbar, but this is a great reward," he said. "The step up in trip was never going to be a worry and Joseph had him spot on.
"When coming round the first time there was a big roar as if it was the finish, but this lad was so relaxed. I was then keeping my head down to make sure we got the job done."
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