WEST Berkshire was celebrating a big Royal Ascot victory yesterday.

My Dream Boat, trained by Lambourn handler, Clive Cox, landed the big race on day two by taking the Group One Prince of Wales's Stakes at a cool 16/1.

It was also a day to remember for the Godolphin stable after Ribchester, Portage and Usherette all won to complete a 285/1 treble.

For the second day in a row attendances were up on the previous year, with 41,978 flocking through the gates on Wednesday compared to 41,091 in 2015.

Here is a round-up of all the action from day two.

Race 1:

SHEIKH Mohammed's format for buying horses proven for other owners is nothing new, but now he tends to leave them with their trainers, rather than redirect them.

That paid off in the Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs when Ribchester, who was bought from David Armstrong in the autumn, won in good style for trainer Richard Fahey.

The 7/1 winner, who carried the colours of Godolphin and was ridden by retained jockey William Buick, scored by two and a quarter lengths and a head from Thikriyaat and Forge.

On his previous start, Ribchester had finished third in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas behind Galileo Gold, who yesterday won the Group One St James's Palace Stakes.

Fahey, who trains two horses for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation, said: "I'm delighted for Godolphin, but I'm delighted for myself.

“I was thrilled when I knew he was staying with me. That's the new policy and it's brilliant, and John [Ferguson, Godolphin's chief executive and racing manager] is good to work with and Sheikh Mohammed is very knowledgeable and between the team it works well.

“They leave it to us - after the Guineas I said to John I'd like to give the horse a break and he said 'do what you want'. There's no pressure.

"We thought about the St James's Palace Stakes, but John was like me, and just wanted to get the horse's head in front, so which was the easiest option?

“Mentally, the horse is a huge baby and still backward, and he's going to make a lovely four-year-old. He's a decent horse, but we chickened out and took the easy option, and I was worried because today's race was quite competitive, but he destroyed them.”

1) Ribchester - Richard Fahey 3-9-06 William Buick 7/1.

2) Thikriyaat - Sir Michael Stoute 3-9-01 Paul Hanagan 8/1.

3) Forge - Sir Michael Stoute 3-9-01 Ryan Moore 11/1.

Race 2:

TRAINER Wesley Ward gained his third success in the Queen Mary Stakes following the victory of the well-backed 2/1 favourite Lady Aurelia in the second race.

Ward has an envious record in the race following the victories of Jealous Again in the 2009 renewal and Acapulco in last year's contest with Lady Aurelia adding her name to that list in devastating fashion.

The daughter of Scat Daddy, who also sired Caravaggio to win yesterday's Coventry Stakes, was always travelling prominently under Frankie Dettori and spread-eagled the field at the two furlong pole, displaying a potent turn of foot to quicken clear of her rivals.

The two-year-old galloped all the way to the line to register a facile seven-length victory.

Ward said: "She is an amazing filly. I kept professing about her and you need it to come true so thank God she lived up to it. She is a special, is very sound and should have a big future. We're very excited about her.

"The ground was a little bit of a question mark for me but her greatness came out today. I thought she could overcome the ground and she did. Frankie gave her a beautiful ride so we are all smiles. Frankie is a lovely guy and an extremely talented guy.”

Dettori added: “It was breathtaking from the top.

"To win a sprint at Royal Ascot by seven lengths - I have never seen anything like it, especially from a two-year-old.

"I was going some very good splits and when we got to the furlong and a half I asked her to go and she found another gear. I was completely shocked.

"She was a rocket and she relaxed so well - Wesley Ward is a genius!

"She is a lovely filly and well done to Wesley. He is a master with these sprinters."

1) Lady Aurelia (USA) - Wesley Ward USA 2-9-00 Frankie Dettori 2/1 Fav.

2) Al Johrah - Henri-Francois Devin FR 2-9-00 Gregory Benoist 9/2.

3) Clem Fandango (FR) - Keith Dalgleish 2-9-00 Phillip Makin 16/1.

Race 3:

USHERETTE came home a easy two-and-a-quarter lengths winner to give Godolphin another success in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes following Ribchester in the first and a 25/1 double.

Her jockey Mickael Barzalona praised his mount: "She has all the good points, she is strong she has good stamina and has good speed as well as a good temperament.

"She was very relaxed in the race and when I asked her to go she picked up nicely.

"I went quite early because I wanted to give her a clear run and she did the job.

"It is great to be here on a big day like this and ride a horse like Usherette.

"I think she is really good. She is a top-class filly and deserved to win today. She travelled well. I did not think the ground suited her and she will be much better on good ground.

"It is great to be here and have a winner for Godolphin."

Usherette holds an entry in the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

"She has a great chance in all the group one races like the Falmouth." added Barzalona.

John Ferguson, Chief Executive and Racing Manager for owner Godolphin, said after the race: "Both jockeys on Usherette and Always Smile reported that their fillies hated the ground, and yet they still finished first and third. I think that is the mark of a really classy filly and Mickael said that Usherette gave him a lovely feel considering the ground.

"One can wax lyrical about Andre Fabre all day long because is a master of his profession. He has made no secret of his love for this filly. It's wonderful to see her win like this at Royal Ascot in front of Sheikh Mohammed and the whole team.”

1) Usherette - Andre Fabre FR    4-9-03 Mickael Barzalona 9/4 Fav.

2) Furia Cruzada - John Gosden 5-9-00 Pat Smullen 20/1.

3) Always Smile - Saeed bin Suroor 4-9-00 James Doyle 9/2.

Race 4:

THE Clive Cox-trained My Dream Boat ran out a shock 16/1 victor of the Group One Prince of Wales's Stakes, the feature race on day two of the Royal meeting.

Having finished a well-beaten fifth behind today's warm favourite, the Japanese raider A Shin Hikari in the Prix d'Isaphan at Chantilly last month, Cox's charge dramatically reversed placings this time around.

The victory gave the trainer his sixth victory at Royal Ascot and his second Group One winner of this year's meeting following Profitable's success in the King's Stand Stakes yesterday.

Off an even gallop set by A Shin Hikari, Adam Kirby settled My Dream Boat out the back of the field.

However, in the home straight, the son of Lord Shanakill made steady progress racing near the stands' side rail and thundered home inside the final furlong to catch Aidan O'Brien's Found and get up on the line to register a neck success.

Cox, registering his seventh Group One victory remarked: "I'm absolutely blown away. It has been an amazing week, the horses have been running so well.

“I had admiration for A Shin Hikari when we ran against him in France but I knew we hadn't quite run our race.

“He found a perfect rhythm today and really found for Adam when he asked him to stretch. I wasn't quite sure if he had won as they were poles apart but I was so pleased that we got the victory.

"Any horse who comes back from a race, you just try and nurture them back to that confidence you hope they are carrying into every race.

“Stuart Shilston (ex-jockey), rides him out every morning and he loves him to bits.

"You see this horse go to the start, he was absolutely bucking so in spite of things not going right in France, he was in pretty good nick. I'm delighted. I think he could go further than 10 furlongs."

1 (3) MY DREAM BOAT (IRE) Clive Cox 9st 0lb Adam Kirby 16/1.

2 (5) Found (IRE) Aidan O'Brien, Ireland 8st 11lb Ryan Moore 4/1.

3 (6) Western Hymn John Gosden 9st 0lb Frankie Dettori 12/1.

Race 5:

A SPARKLING day for Godolphin improved again when Portage landed the Royal Hunt Cup, completing a 285/1 treble by horses carrying Sheikh Mohammed's blue colours.

The Mick Halford-trained winner, a 10/1 shot, beat bottom weight Librisa Breeze (8/1) by one and a quarter lengths, with Mitchum Swagger (14/1) a half-length behind in third. Azraff (20/1) finished fourth.

Halford said: "He's grown up a lot, and he's matured a lot as he proved when winning at the Curragh [on his previous run].

“We knew he would get the trip really well and that he would handle the soft ground, and James [Doyle] was very confident about the horse and rode him confidently.

"We planned coming back here from the moment he ran in the Cambridgeshire last year [he was fifth in that race].

“We had a very wet spring and then planned to run at the Curragh during the Guineas weekend, but had a slight hold up. We then got him into a Listed race which he won, and then came here.

"He's a horse that is ready to step up and will go on better ground and over a longer trip. It's very special to have a winner here today, especially for Sheikh Mohammed, who has been a wonderful supporter and shown great loyalty to us."

1) Portage (IRE) - Mick Halford 4-9-05 James Doyle 10/1.

2) Librisa Breeze - Dean Ivory 4-8-11 Robert Winston 8/1.

3) Mitchum Swagger - David Lanigan 4-9-08 George Baker 14/1.

4) Azraff - Marco Botti 4-8-13 Andrea Atzeni 20/1.

Race 6:

PERSUASIVE extended her perfect record to four by running out the impressive one and a quarter length winner of the Listed Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot.

The 11/4 favourite was always travelling powerfully under jockey Frankie Dettori and she quickly put daylight between herself and her rivals when asked for her effort just over a furlong from home.

Trainer John Gosden was delighted with the performance of the unbeaten three-year-old filly and revealed that she would seek further black type later on in the season.

"This has been a bit of a plan," explained the trainer.

"She missed a bit of time during the winter and I had to get a third run into her at Chelmsford to make her eligible for this.

"She's a sweet lovely filly and I love her to bits. She was favourite today and I was obviously hopeful and if I had a banker for the week, if there is such a thing, then she was it.

"She's done it well. I'll have to have a word with the jockey (Dettori) as he hit the front too soon but he's riding well our boy.

"This is Frankie's bare minimum (8st 9lb) so he's done incredibly well to get down to this racing weight. We'll see where we go now but we've got black type at Royal Ascot and it doesn't get much better than that - for a filly and also for people that breed (owners Cheveley Park Stud).

"She's done it well today on ground that she wasn't exactly crazy about. We'll stay with black type and we know that the French hold those sort of races for three-year-olds more than we do so we'll look at that and give her a smart entry here in Britain and see where we go from there."

1) Persuasive (IRE) - John Gosden 3-8-09 Frankie Dettori 11/4 Fav.

2) Diamond Fields (IRE) - Tommy Stack 3-8-11 Wayne Lordan 33/1.

3) Sharaakah (IRE) - Ed Dunlop 3-8-07 Joe Fanning 25/1.