So You Think beats Queen's horse for victory

So You Think went some way towards justifying his exalted reputation in Australia when he accelerated away from the Queen's runner, Carlton House, to win the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. The six-year-old, ridden by Joseph O'Brien for his father Aidan, atoned for his narrow defeat in the same race 12 months ago in posting a two and a quarter length verdict, with Carlton House just holding the late flourishes of Farhh and last year's French Derby winner Reliable Man for the minor berths respectively. It was So You Think's fifth triumph in a championship race -- and tenth in all -- since he transferred from Bart Cummings to O'Brien's Irish stable 20 months ago. And O'Brien felt it was his best performance. "We are delighted to get him back to where Bart had him in Australia," the trainer said. "We felt he was in a place where he has never been since he came to us, and I'm sorry it took so long for us to get him to his best. He is one of those special horses." On another day of glorious sunshine at the royal racecourse, O'Brien expressed his sentiments within the shadow of So You Think's imminent departure from his stable. The Southern Hemisphere champion is due to return to Australia next month, when he will take up stallion duties. Before that, he is likely to contest the Eclipse Stakes in Britain on July 7. John Magnier, the Coolmore Stud lynchpin who engineered the purchase of a half-share in So You Think in September 2010, felt it had taken time to get the best from a horse that switched hemispheres halfway through his racing career. "They are hemispheres with completely different environments, and the horse has been with two different trainers," Magnier reflected. "We have had to learn a lot about him, and him about us, but the time has come for him to go to stud." Magnier also alluded to mixed emotions as So You Think galloped down the centre of the course to collar the royal runner, which finished third in last year's Derby at Epsom. "What can you do?" he asked metaphorically. "It isn't an easy one, but I'm sure (the Queen) is happy that we are all here." Having raced freely, Carlton House quickened smartly to challenge for the lead approaching the final furlong before giving best to So You Think. "We knew he would really have to up his game to win this," said Carlton House's trainer, Sir Michael Stoute. "Group 1 races are hard to win, and while the horse ran well he was second best today." O'Brien had earlier visited the winner's enclosure when he saddled his wife Annemarie's homebred filly Ishvana to win the Jersey Stakes. And a memorable day for Irish stables was crowned when David Wachman sent out Duntle to land the last of six races. However, Ashvana's Jersey Stakes triumph came with a sting in the tail. Seamie Heffernan, the winning jockey, was later banned for seven days and fined £550 for excessive use of the whip. Johnny Murtagh, aboard runner-up Sentaril, was banned for two days for the same offence. Another winning jockey to earn the stewards' wrath was John Fahy after he brought Prince Of Johanne home from a raft of outsiders to win the 30-runner Royal Hunt Cup. Fahy was fined £1,100 into the bargain. All in all, it was a return to business as usual for O'Brien after his powerful stable drew a blank on opening day. And his prospects for the rest of the week are rosy. On Thursday O'Brien saddles Fame And Glory in the Ascot Gold Cup, when the six-year-old bids to complete a hat-trick of wins in the meeting's showpiece race.