Irad Ortiz Jr warmed up for his trip to Royal Ascot in spectacular fashion as he guided Mo Donegal to victory in the Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday.

Much of the pre-race attention surrounded Rich Strike, the 80/1 winner of the Kentucky Derby.

But the Eric Reed-trained colt looked agitated in the preliminaries and raced at the back of the pack from the beginning. Despite a brief move that looked momentarily promising, he was ultimately never able to land a serious blow, eventually finishing sixth.

Up front We The People made the running, with Mo Donegal not far behind his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Nest as the Mike Repole-owned pair stalked the pace.

Fifth in the Derby, Mo Donegal responded immediately when Ortiz Jr asked him to go and while the filly Nest gave chase, she was never going to get there.

It was ideal preparation for Ortiz Jr, who will ride all of Wesley Ward’s horses at the Royal meeting, including Golden Pal in the King’s Stand Stakes on Tuesday.

Mo Donegal, a son of Coolmore's Uncle Mo, was bought for $250,000 as a yearling by Donegal Racing, a syndicate formed by US attorney Jerry Crawford. From Des Moines in Iowa, Crawford set up the syndicate in 2008 with the aim of buying a handful of yearlings every year.

The Crawford family is originally from Co Donegal and their horses run in the county colours of green and yellow. However, Mo Donegal carried the silks of owner Mike Repole in the Belmont, the businessman having bought a share in the horse recently.

Donegal Racing has had several Kentucky Derby runners in the past 12 years, including Paddy O'Prado (3rd in 2010), Dullahan (3rd in 2012), and Keen Ice (7th in 2015). Mo Donegal finished fifth in the Derby this year after a troubled run.