O’Brien believes class told for Fame and Glory

Best known until now as the horse which chased home the one and only Sea The Stars in the 2009 Epsom Derby, Fame and Glory is now a champion in his own right after landing a nationwide gamble to win the Ascot Gold Cup.

Backed down to 11-8 from 2-1, it would be premature – and unfair – to compare this classiest of five-year-olds to former stablemate and four-time Gold Cup winner Yeats, but Aidan O’Brien-trained Fame and Glory has the potential to dominate Flat racing’s staying division for years to come.

This was also a personal triumph for Jamie Spencer. As stable jockey to O’Brien in 2004, the jockey could not consistently handle the pressure, responsibility and scrutiny that accompanies the Ballydoyle job. Suspect tactical acumen also left much to be desired, leading to the rider’s services being dispensed with at the beginning of the following year.

Yet the horseman’s association with Jim and Fitri Hay, co-owners of Fame and Glory alongside key Ballydoyle backers Derrick Smith, John Magnier and Michael Tabor, paved the way for Spencer to provide O’Brien with one of the most satisfying wins of his career.

After the victor quashed doubts about his suspect stamina with a tactically perfect performance in testing going, Fame and Glory earned a quote of 3-1 to win the race next year. He is 66-1 to match the exploits of Yeats and 200-1 to win the race five times or more.

Though this is unlikely – it almost requires divine intervention to keep horses sound and then train them to perfection for specific races – O’Brien will relish the challenge. He is one of racing’s great optimists.

The horse’s immediate priority will be the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – the former Irish Derby winner has been unplaced in the last two renewals. It is, nevertheless, doubtful that he would have the class to beat Derby winner Pour Moi over 12 furlongs, a mile less than yesterday’s endurance test.

“The plan was after (yesterday) to give him a break and train him for the Arc again, so we’ll take one step at a time and do like we always did with Yeats and give him a run at the back-end,” explained O’Brien. “The Gold Cup next year? Wouldn’t it be marvellous?”

O’Brien attributed this three-length triumph over Godolphin’s second string Opinion Poll, with Yorkshire trainer David O’Meara’s Blue Bajan a distant 10th, to the horse’s class.

Tastahil had set out to make all the running before the veteran Geordieland, who so often found Yeats his nemesis in this race, pulled himself to the front. Once Jamie Osborne’s horse faltered from contention (he was subsequently pulled up), Duncan – the Yorkshire Cup winner – was the first of the big guns to play his hand.

Spencer had not moved a muscle until the field turned into the straight. Confident throughout, the 31-year-old angled Fame and Glory away from the running rail and past the four frontrunners with ease as his mount pulled clear.

Teenager Mickael Barzalona, the Derby-winning jockey, then brought Opinion Poll (16-1) from the rear of the field to pass all bar the impressive winner, with Brigantin third.

“I’m delighted for everybody and for Jamie, who gave him a great ride,” added O’Brien. “When horses have so much class they can often stay – class makes them stay. It’s the ultimate test of class when you go that extreme distance.”

This view was reiterated by Spencer, who was recording his first Royal Ascot winner since Radiohead won the 2009 Norfolk Stakes. “I was delighted when I saw Geordieland going around the field with a mile and a half to go to inject a bit of pace,” said the winning rider.

“Aidan’s a great trainer and his first two races this season were all about bringing him on. Everybody was doubting him for the last few weeks, but we never had any doubts and I’m absolutely tickled pink.”

This was a glorious day for Ireland, Fame and Glory’s triumph coming 40 minutes after Jim Bolger showed, yet again, that his horses are among the toughest in training after Banimpire followed up a win at Cork on Sunday by landing the Ribblesdale Stakes.

The teak-tough filly was having her seventh start of a busy campaign, and winning for the fifth time this season.

“We used Cork as if we were giving her a blow-out at home. We’d done it before and it was successful,” said Bolger, who trained the 2008 Derby winner New Approach.

“All she does is eats and sleeps and the only time she exerts herself is on the racecourse. I’ll probably find a race between now and the Irish Oaks.”

Yet even this remarkable training feat could not detract from Fame and Glory taking staying Flat racing to new levels of brilliance.

As Coolmore supremo John Magnier, who is godfather to Spencer, said in a rare interview: “It’s a very special race and winning it, you get a very special buzz out of that.

“He’s a very consistent horse, there’s no doubt about it, and unless we mess him up he could run up a sequence, but it’s hard to keep horses sound. If Sea The Stars hadn’t been there, this fellow would have been retired to stud as a Derby winner.”