Royal Ascot 2016: Winners, Payouts and Orders of Finish on Thursday

Aidan O'Brien oversaw a seventh success in the Gold Cup as Order of St George won the signature race in style on Ladies Day at Royal Ascot 2016.

It was just one of many highlights for O'Brien, who also celebrated his 50th race win at this festival on Thursday.

Here is the order of finish from the races on Ladies Day:

Position	Horse	Prize
1	Prince of Lir	£56,710
2	The Last Lion	£21,500
3	Silver Line	£10,760
4	Peace Envoy	£5,360
5	Global Applause	£2,690

Position	Horse	Prize
1	Hawkbill	£51,039
2	Prize Money	£19,350
3	Long Island Sound	£9,684
4	Steel of Madrid	£4,824
5	Royal Artillery	£2,421

Position	Horse	Prize
1	Even Song	£113,420
2	Ajman Princess	£43,000
3	The Black Princess	£21,520
4	Queen's Trust	£10,720
5	Shall We	£5,380

Position	Horse	Prize
1	Order of St George	£226,840
2	Mizzou	£86,000
3	Sheikhzayedroard	£43,040
4	Mille Et Mille	£21,440
5	Burmese	£10,760

Position	Horse	Prize
1	Defrocked	£74,700
2	Abe Lincoln	£22,368
3	Chief Whip	£11,184
4	Arcanada	£5,592
5	Yattwee	£2,796

Position	Horse	Prize
1	Primitivo	£56,025
2	Platitude	£16,776
3	Harrison	£8,388
4	The Major General	£4,194
5	Danehill Kodiac	£2,097

Recap

O'Brien had been worried how Order of St George, a horse with talent as a closer, would cope on the soft ground of a 2 ½-mile course at Ascot, per Sporting Life.

The decorated trainer's worries seemed well-founded as the odds-on favourite struggled to establish himself in what was a gruelling race early on. The initial stages saw plenty of buffeting and challenges among the field, and it took O'Brien's four-year-old a while to really get going.

Jockey Ryan Moore described how the aggressive nature of this Gold Cup forced him into multiple strategies, according to At The Races:

Yet, like all true closers, the favourite saved his best for when it really mattered, powering over the final furlong in very impressive fashion. The comfortable finish was proof this horse can handle itself over long distances.

O'Brien was suitably delighted with his enthusiastic winner, per Channel 4 Racing:

Order of St George proved so impressive, the Colt already has some thinking he can repeat the success of the last O'Brien-schooled horse to consistently boss the Gold Cup, per Racing UK:

Earlier, O'Brien was able to celebrate a half-century of race wins at this festival, after Even Song took the Ribblesdale Stakes in style. The swift filly benefited from a light racecard leading up to this big meeting, and her freshness showed as she passed the pack with a strong surge inside the final furlong.

Channel 4 Racing provided highlights of O'Brien's landmark win:

Now the masterful trainer is setting an even bigger target for Even Song:

While the favourites had powered home as expected, Defrocked took an unconventional route to the finishing line in the Britannia Stakes Heritage Handicap. The horse hugged the right railing for much of the decisive furlong, hanging on the rail all the way home.

It was still a frantic, photo finish between Jamie Spencer's horse and second-placed Abe Lincoln.

The day began with Prince of Lir upsetting Silver Line in the Norfolk Stakes, earning a first festival win for jockey Luke Morris. He was suitably impressed with how the horse handled the sprint:

Yet despite the impressive performance, trainer Robert Cowell indicated he's ready to hold Prince of Lir back from the next big meeting:

After the Norfolk Stakes, came the Tercentenary Stakes, a race won by Hawkbill. The win vindicated jockey William Buick's faith in his horse:

Channel 4 Racing noted how Hawkbill kept up a fine winning tradition for Buick at Ascot. The horse also made this an excellent festival for both trainer Charlie Appleby as well as stable Godolphin:

Finally, Primitivo landed the King George V Stakes as the Queen-owned Guy Fawkes finished well off the pace in last place.  It was pace that won the day for Primitivo, who needed to hold off a spirited late run from Platitude on the outside, but despite some untidy sprinting, it was a comfortable win in the end.

Ultimately, the day belonged to O'Brien, whose record at this festival commands almost as much respect as his uncanny knack for training winners of all ages and styles.