Watched by the Knavesmire's biggest crowd of the week, the 7-4 favourite upset the bookies by winning the Gold Cup, the feature race of the meeting.

Earlier, Thakafaat won the Ribblesdale Stakes, the first of a double for trainer John Dunlop.

Masta Plasta won the opening race of the day, the Norfolk Stakes.

That victory provided jumps trainer Howard Johnson with his first Royal Ascot winner.

1730 - Buckingham Palace Stakes (seven furlongs)

1 Jedburgh (M Kinane) 8-1
2 King Jock (P Smullen) 10-1
3 Stetchworth Prince (J Spencer) 14-1
4 Bahiano (R Moore) 8-1
23 ran. Dist: 1�l, 1�l.

Mick Kinane earns his fourth winner of the week when Jedburgh wins the last race of the day.

Kinane, who rode a treble on Wednesday, was drawn in stall three and steered his mount up the centre of the track and wins comfortably.

It is a second winner of the day for John Dunlop and completes a 295,595-1 across-the-card five-timer for the trainer, who also had three winners at the Newbury meeting.

1655 - Hampton Court Stakes
(One mile two and a half furlongs)

1 Indigo Cat (K Fallon) 3-1f
2 Belenus (K McEvoy) 9-2
3 Elliots World (J Egan) 12-1
Nine ran. Dist: 2l, 5l.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Indigo Cat comes from well behind to snatch victory and mark the third victory in a row for favourites.

Kieren Fallon had to work hard all the way on Indigo Cat, who looked like he didn't want to be racing for much of the contest.

But the Irishman was rewarded when Indigo Cat picked up half a mile from home and finished strongly to pick off Belenus with long-time leader Elliots World back in third.

There is no Royal meeting fairytale for Forward Move, owned by the Queen, who trails in down the field.

1620 - Britannia Stakes (one mile)

1 Mostashaar (R Hills) 100-30f
2 Brecon Beacon (J Murtagh) 25-1
3 Hawkes Bay (E Ahern) 16-1
4 Sky Crusader (J Egan) 25-121 ran.

The sun is out as Mostashaar lands a gamble and destroys the field in the Britannia Stakes for the easiest win of the day.

Richard Hills presses the button just over two furlongs out to send the colt clear and Mostashaar storms clear to bring up Sir Michael Stoute's 50th winner at Royal Ascot.

1545 - Gold Cup (Two miles four furlongs)

1 Westerner (O Peslier) 7-4f
2 Distinction (J Murtagh) 33-1
3 Vinnie Roe (P Smullen) 9-2
17 ran. Dist: Nk, 5l.

French rider Oliver Peslier rides a supremely confident race to take the week's big race on Westerner and score a massive blow for punters over the bookies.

Full report: Gold Cup

Distinction takes up the running three furlongs from home and begins to pull clear but Peslier times his run to perfection on Westerner - last year's runner-up - to win by a neck.

Irish challenger Vinnie Roe, running the race for the final time, comes third.

Westerner, who is trained by Elie Lellouche and owned by the famous Wildenstein racing dynasty, is the first French-trained winner since 1977.

1505 - Ribblesdale Stakes (one mile four furlongs)

1 Thakafaat (W Supple) 22-1
2 Twyla Tharp (J Fortune) 11-1
3 Asawer (R Hills) 11-1
Nine ran. Dist: Shd, 2l.

Thakafaat makes most of the running in the Group Two contest and just gets the better of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-owned Twyla Tharp in a photo-finish.

But it is a disappointing run from Oaks runner-up and hot favourite Something Exciting, who is never in contention although she does run on well to finish fourth.

Thakafaat is owner Hamdan Al Maktoum's second string in the race with the more fancied Asawer coming home third.

1430 - Norfolk Stakes (five furlongs)

1 Masta Plasta (R Winston) 7-2
2 Strike Up The Band (A Nicholls) 7-4f
3 Classic Encounter (R Hughes) 7-2
12 ran. Dist: 2l, �l.

Robert Winston goes straight to the front of the field on Masta Plasta and holds on to win the five-furlong dash and register his first Royal Ascot success.

Favourite Strike Up The Band sees his chance go at the start when he slips coming out of the stalls but he does fight back to snatch second off Classic Encounter.

It is also a first Royal Ascot winner for trainer Howard Johnson, more usually associated with jump racing.