AIDAN O'Brien was the big winner on Day Three at Royal Ascot.

The Ballydoyle handler chalked up his 50th win of the Royal meeting when Even Song took the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes.

It then got even better for O'Brien when Order of St George (10/11fav) landed the Group 1 Gold Cup in Honour of the Queen's 90th Birthday.

It was O'Brien's seventh Gold Cup success and his 51st win of Royal Ascot.

Here's how the day unfolded...

Race 1:

JOCKEY Luke Morris was all smiles after he registered his first Royal Ascot winner following Prince Of Lir's half length victory in the Group Two Norfolk Stakes over five furlongs.

The Robert Cowell-trained two-year-old was one of the first off the bridle but he stuck to his task well and stayed on strongly in the final furlong to extend his unbeaten record.

The 8/1 shot had made a winning debut at Beverley in the Brian Yeardley Continential Two Year Old Trophy, beating The Last Lion one and a quarter lengths, and the same rival was runner-up again here today.

Prince Of Lir was the quickest breeze-up horse at this year's Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale in April of this year and was purchased by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for £170,000.

Morris revealed the race hadn't gone exactly to plan from the start.

"He came off the bridle a long way from home and I was actually quite concerned," he said.

"He travelled really well first time at Beverley but he's shown a good attitude here and stuck his head out well.

"Prince Of Lir has only had one start and is just a little bit inexperienced. He is a very talented horse and once he hit the rising ground and got rolling he put the race to bed nicely.”

1) Prince Of Lir - Robert Cowell 2-9-01 Luke Morris 8/1.

2) The Last Lion - Mark Johnston 2-9-01 Joe Fanning 20/1.

Silver Line - Saeed bin Suroor 2-9-01 James Doyle 7/2.

Race 2:

CHARLIE Appleby was delighted with the performance of Hawkbill, who gave the trainer his second Royal Ascot success when running out the one and a quarter length winner of the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes.

The Godolphin trio of the winner, runner-up Prize Money and pacemaker Race Day went off in front, with the latter setting a particularly strong pace.

The same three horses were still in front as the field turned for home but, while the pacemaker gave way two furlongs from home, both Hawksbill, ridden by William Buick, and Prize Money (trained by Saeed bin Suroor) stayed on strongly to give Godolphin a one-two in the race.

Appleby was understandably wreathed in smiles following the victory of the 11/2 shot.

"I was delighted with that," said Appleby.

"First of all, I'd like to say well done to Martin (Lane - rider of pacemaker Race Day) who set perfect fractions. It was our plan to have a nice strong pace and hopefully, if he got the trip, he'd win.

"He's shown there what he shows us at home. He's a great traveller and sees it out as well.

"I wasn't worried about the ground as the guys at home didn't think it would be a problem. His biggest challenge is himself sometimes but we've got him settled down.

"I told William to ride him like he was the best horse in the race and that's what he's done.”

1) Hawkbill - Charlie Appleby 3-9-00 William Buick 6/1.

2) Prize Money - Saeed bin Suroor 3-9-00 James Doyle 7/2 Jt Fav.

3) Long Island Sound - Aidan O'Brien IRE 3-9-00 Ryan Moore 9/2.

Race 3:

AIDAN O'Brien reached a significant milestone after Even Song gave the trainer his 50th Royal Ascot winner when running out the impressive one and a half length winner of the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes.

The 15/8 favourite was always travelling kindly for jockey Ryan Moore and stayed on strongly in the closing stages when asked for her effort.

O'Brien was quick to praise all of his staff following the 12-furlong race.

"She's a lovely filly," said O'Brien. "Everyone does a great job with her.

“Ryan rode her in Newmarket when she was third in the Pretty Polly and felt she could be the second best staying filly.We decided to leave her and come here rather than go to Epsom and it has worked out great.

“We felt she would get a mile and a half well and handle an ease in the ground. It is great when it works out and she is a well-bred filly too which is great.”

He added: “Ryan has given her a lovely ride and she's come there when she wanted to - I imagine he is very happy. She always been a professional filly but I was worried that she'd still be a little bit green and this is only her second run this year.

“It's worked out great. We were thinking that if everything went well today that we'd go to the Irish Oaks (at the Curragh) so I think that's what we might think of.

“She's a very well-bred filly and a half-sister to last year's St Leger winner (Simple Verse). She's a big mare as well so you'd imagine she'd improve and could be even better next year.”

1) Even Song - Aidan O'Brien 3-9-00 Ryan Moore 15/8 Fav.

2) Ajman Princess - Roger Varian 3-9-00 Andrea Atzeni 33/1.

3) The Black Princess - John Gosden 3-9-00 William Buick 8/1.

Race 4:

ORDER Of St George (10/11 favourite) overcame trouble in running to run out a very impressive winner of the Group One Gold Cup in Honour of the Queen's 90th Birthday and demonstrate trainer Aidan O'Brien's superiority in the race by providing the Ballydoyle trainer a record seventh Gold Cup success.

The Irish handler also gained his 51th victory at Royal Ascot and third win of the week following Caravaggio (Coventry Stakes) and Even Song (Ribblesdale Stakes).

Mille Et Mille set a furious gallop in the race with Order Of St George held up in the mid-division by Ryan Moore.

Turning for home, the son of Galileo suffered traffic problems while trying to make his way through the field, forcing Moore to bring the four-year-old wide on the outside.

However, once O'Brien's charge found daylight, the strapping colt stayed strongly down the outside to swoop to the front inside the furlong pole.

The Irish-bred colt responded well to Moore's urgings and Order Of St George continued to find plenty all the way to the line to register an easy three-length success.

O'Brien, the winning most trainer in the Gold Cup, said: "It was a great performance. He is a brave horse. I'm over the moon to come here less than three weeks after his last run [Saval Beg Stakes, Leopardstown] and win this."

O'Brien was quick to highlight the skills of Ryan Moore who gave the horse a superb ride. He commented: "Ryan gave him a great ride and was very cool on him. It was a very rough race.

"Ryan was very clever and didn't panic on him. He put him asleep and despite it getting pretty rough, he wasn't worried and pulled Order Of St George out in the home straight without using any gas. He had to be very cool to do what he did."

1) (10) ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE) Aidan O'Brien, Ireland 9st 0lb Ryan Moore 10/11 Fav.

2) (1) Mizzou (IRE) Luca Cumani 9st 2lb Andrea Atzeni 10/1

3) (12) Sheikhzayedroad (Hood) David Simcock 9st 2lb Martin Harley 40/1.

4) (18) Mille Et Mille (Tongue Strap) Carlos Lerner, France 9st 2lb Thierry Thulliez 33/1.

Race 5:

DEFROCKED landed the Britannia Handicap over the straight mile at Royal Ascot this afternoon for trainer Jamie Osborne and jockey Jamie Spencer.

The 10/1 shot looked like he was going to be an easy winner two furlongs from home but the horse drifted violently right across the course and ended up on the far rail.

The winner lost a lot of ground but rallied well in the dying strides to deny runner-up Abe Lincoln by a short-head.

Spencer explained that the horse had lost a lot of momentum in the final furlong.

"He was in front a furlong and a half from home, which is plenty enough for this horse," said Spencer.

"The other side were gone and I thought I better get after them. The minute I hit the front, he accelerated to the right and I was losing a lot of ground.

“I tried to correct him but it's not simple and I think he's value for the win given the amount of ground he gave away going right. He's a good horse.

"He's got huge energy levels. When he ran in his maiden, he was really green and then all of a sudden he shot forward and then pulled and then picked up again.”

1) Defrocked - Jamie Osborne 3-9-01 Jamie Spencer 7/1.

2) Abe Lincoln - Jeremy Noseda 3-8-12 Jim Crowley 16/1.

3) Chief Whip - Richard Hannon 3-9-03 Sean Levey 12/1.

Race 6:

THE Alan King-trained Primitivo (13/2) was a runaway winner of the King George V Handicap, providing his trainer and jockey William Twiston-Davies with their first winners at Royal Ascot.

Having travelled well throughout, the son of Excellent Art stormed into contention in the final furlong.

Despite drifting alarmingly towards the stands' side rail, the three-year-old colt found plenty under pressure to come well clear of second-placed Platitude for a three and a quarter-length success.

King, known for his jumping exploits, said: "It is really special. I adore Royal Ascot, I've been coming here for the best part of 30 years but we don't have many runners here. At no point did I believe I would have a winner at Royal Ascot but it means a lot.

"It's been a great ambition that I wanted to have a Royal Ascot winner. I just really can't believe it - it is marvellous.

"Primitivo was a progressive two-year-old. He is not the biggest horse but he surprised me how well he won at Newbury (13 May) and then we had to run him with a penalty and he did that very well at Sandown (19 May). So this was always the place to come.

"I think the rain was in our favour as he loves a bit of dig. He will stay and he is bred to stay. I bred the mother (Dolcetto) and she won two or three for me."

1) Primitivo - Alan King 3-9-03 William Twiston-Davies 13/2.

2) Platitude - Sir Michael Stoute 3-9-07 Ryan Moore 12/1.

3) Harrison - Mick Channon 3-9-01 Silvestre De Sousa 8/1.