Brazen Beau has been narrowly beaten in his bid for Royal Ascot glory, with American sprinter Undrafted overpowering him late to claim the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m).

Chris Waller’s three-year-old shot clear in the final 200m but having raced solo for much of the race, the $4.50 equal favourite was a sitting shot for Frankie Dettori and Undrafted ($16), who overpowered him in the dying stages.

Waller said afterwards that he couldn’t be prouder of Brazen Beau, who went into one of the world’s toughest sprint races having not run since his win in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington in March.    

“He’s done us proud to say the least. It’s a very special occasion,” he told Channel 4 after the race. “To have run so well makes us proud.

“Full credit to the winner, it had a lovely run. We had to do it a bit hard on our own out there, but full credit to Craig, he backed the horse and almost pulled it off.”

Craig Williams took a calculated risk on Brazen Beau by keeping him away from the rest of the field on the stand side. He said after the race that he believed the horse may have wanted to run to the left, but that the horse’s concentration had wavered at times down the Ascot straight.

“He’s done a lot of work on his own on uphill courses, so we put of preparation if that was the case. So we had planned for it and that was we ended up having to do,” Williams said.

“Unfortunately throughout the race on a couple of occasions, being on his own, he seemed to lose concentration. So it would have been an advantage if he was with another horse. Unfortunately that was just the way it was.”

“He was so gallant and tough and unfortunately we couldn’t quite get there in the end. But under no circumstances did he lay down.”

Gai Waterhouse’s colt Wandjina loomed briefly at the 300m mark but was unable to go with Brazen Beau when the pressure went on. He would finish sixth, about four lengths from the winner.

Irish-bred Astaire finished third in the race at $25, while the other favoured runner Mustajeeb, who was well-supported into equal favourite in the UK markets, finished fourth.

Undrafted is trained by American trainer Wesley Ward, who spent the night before the race in hospital with his daughter, who had taken ill.

That situation made the victory all the more emotional for Ward and Dettori. The winner is owned by NFL star Wes Welker.

WATCH: Brazen Beau's brave effort in the Diamond Jubilee