JOSEPH O’Brien became the youngest trainer to saddle a Breeders’ Cup winner when Iridessa stormed home in the Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita.

The 26-year-old is also only the second trainer to have tasted Breeders’ Cup glory as a jockey, after Freddy Head, following his Turf triumph aboard St Nicholas Abbey in 2011.

Iridessa was guided to success by Wayne Lordan, winning his first Breeders’ Cup race, and he had the Group 1 Pretty Polly and Matron Stakes heroine in a decent position from the start.

Mirth set the pace and soon built up a big lead, but she was swamped in the straight and it was left to Iridessa and Vasilika to fight out the finish.

Iridessa (8/1) battled on gamely to land the spoils by a neck. Last year’s winner Sistercharlie was a never-nearer three lengths back in third.

Frankie Dettori was fourth on the John Gosden-trained Fanny Logan, with Just Wonderful, trained by Aidan O’Brien, fifth.

“It’s very special. Obviously I’ve been coming here a number of years, and I know how hard it is to compete here,” said O’Brien. “I have been supported by some fantastic owners since I started training. And obviously with that, I’ve had some very good horses. It hasn’t sunk in yet that we’ve had a winner here.”

The filly was bred by Joseph's mother Annemarie O'Brien. It was crowning a fabulous day for the trainer who had landed a Group 2 in Australia in the early hours of the morning with Melbourne Cup candidate Downdraft, and three-year-old hurdle win in Down Royal with Wave Of The Sea.