ITV Racing foiled in bid to stop Aidan O’Brien namechecking team at Royal Ascot

Yet when Kyprios claimed the Gold Cup for a second time to take the trainer’s Group 1 score to 401, ITV Racing was keen to get straight into a reaction to the performance from O’Brien rather than allow him to hand out the mentions.

Interviewer Matt Chapman tried to make it clear to O’Brien that there were time constraints but the trainer was determined to stick to his script.

“Aidan, it’s a slightly different way of starting the interview because usually of course you read out the names that you need to,” said Chapman.

“I am going to stop you from doing that right now because the King and Queen are going to present you with a prize very quickly.

“I said to Michael Tabor, ‘This is a man who has won Derbys with two horses tailed off in the 2,000 Guineas, now he’s brought Kyprios back almost from certain retirement to win an Ascot Gold Cup’. Even you today have to say. ‘Aidan, job well done.’”

Yet O’Brien replied: “Obviously I didn’t bring him back, I was only watching it happen.

“There were so many people involved, Derek and Donal are in charge of him, Wieslaw looks after him, Eamon, Dean, Shane, Rachel, so many people around him that do so many things.”

He continued: “Rory, John, I could go on. They’re the people that made it happen and we watched this. And obviously Aoife to have the patience she had with John and Sue and Michael and Doreen and Gay and Derrick.

“Dean rides him out every day and Patrick rode him all through the winter, Rachel rides him in his work. Aine looked after him.”

Chapman interjected: “We know it’s a big team Aidan but talk to us about the horse, Kyprios.”

But O’Brien kept going, “John and Derek…”

Finally Chapman gave up, asking the trainer if there is anyone else he wanted to namecheck before he went.

“There’s loads of people I’ve left out,” O’Brien said. “All the people on the gallops, the office, Coolmore, everyone. There are so many people I haven’t mentioned. I’m sorry.”

Chapman could only join in, lightheartedly signing off with, “Off you go Aidan, thank you very much. The ice cream man, the milkman. Thank you Aidan.”