'This is the biggest thrill of my life!' - meet the Queensland cattleman who capped a glorious day for the underdogs

In the middle of the night, deep in the bush of north-east Australia, a family crowded around a television and roared a Royal Ascot winner home.

They would, of course, have much rather been at the track to witness the astonishing success of Cercene. No doubt they would have handled the heat a lot better than many at the course this week, but even the most cool-headed around would have been left sweating at the hard-fought finish between some of Europe's biggest powerhouses and the gutsy 33-1 filly who denied them all to win the Coronation Stakes.

While his family stayed up until the early hours to see Cercene's triumph, owner Shane Stafford stood in the blazing sunshine in a state of disbelief. As a small-time trainer in Queensland, he was no stranger to winners, but winners of this calibre are another matter entirely.