The message from Ascot this year, when it has been able to raise its corporate voice above that spat over steroids and the mock outrage over strap sizes and fake tans, is that the royal meeting is getting ever more international. It could hardly have been more resoundingly endorsed than by the first two races yesterday.

In barely believable succession, we gaped at an Australian horse beating a French one in the Queen Anne Stakes and a Spanish horse beating another Australian in the King's Stand. Enriching the mix still further, the first winner had an Irish trainer and the second an Irish owner and a French jockey. What price the British?

If the second result, at least, had most of the 40,000 crowd silently scouring their racecards and trying to pronounce the name of a 22-1 shot they had barely registered, the net outcome of these two group ones was hugely beneficial to a racecourse desperate to strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive scrap for the world's best Flat racing.

Perhaps no smile was broader, though, than that worn by Barry Hills, the one English ingredient in this heady foreign cocktail. Equiano, having defied Takeover Target and the favourite, Fleeting Spirit, by half a length and a neck, will not return to his old quarters in Madrid and instead took up residence at Hills's yard in Lambourn last night.

By contrast, his owner, James Acheson, wore a slightly dazed look in the winner's enclosure - hardly surprising, as he only bought the horse a fortnight ago. Acheson is a pony-tailed Ulsterman who describes himself as “a farmer” but has tasted similar success in showjumping, when Liscalgot won the 2002 world championships. “We only bought that one just before the event, too,” he said.

Acheson explained that he had spent 18 months looking for a potential stallion before his agent sourced Equiano. Mauricio Delcher Sanchez, it was agreed, would continue to train the horse for this race and he hence has the distinction of another first, for Royal Ascot has never before welcomed a winner prepared in Spain.

Olivier Peslier, a Parisien master around Berkshire's royal sward, was positive throughout and saw off the South African grey, National Spirit, a furlong out. He was always holding the cavalry but Takeover Target - much the oldest and bravest in the field - finished stoutly enough to have his odds slashed for the furlong-farther Golden Jubilee Stakes on Saturday.

Jeremy Noseda was a mite disappointed with Fleeting Spirit but Andy Stewart, a partner in The Searchers syndicate that owns the filly, offered a nice line in irony. “After all the fuss about Australian horses on steroids, we get beaten by a Spanish one that's been on nothing stronger than San Miguel,” he said.

If further irony were needed, it came from the opening race. Officially an Irish winner, and for the familiar machine primed by Aidan O'Brien, the story behind Haradasun is very Australian and engagingly romantic.

Until last autumn, Haradasun was entirely owned by three Sydney couples who forged their racing interest through their shared business as operators of 15 McDonald's restaurants. Frank Tagg, their spokesman, joked: “We've sold ten of them now, to help pay for the horses.”

In truth, they were probably in clover once Coolmore had bought half of their colt after two group one wins in Australia. They transferred him to O'Brien for the remainder of his racing career and a fact-finding mission at Newbury, where he was only sixth in the Lockinge, led inexorably to yesterday's triumph.

There were moments in the closing stages when it seemed that either Darjina or Finsceal Beo - two more overseas raiders - were sure to prevail but Haradasun was tenacious. “The Australian horses are real tough,” Johnny Murtagh, the winning jockey, confirmed. “They're trained hard and ridden hard. I knew after the Lockinge that he'd be a lot better today.”

Murtagh had rather more time to anticipate this than expected, as proceedings were unusually tardy. The royal party had arrived behind schedule, which may or may not have indicated an especially good lunch at Windsor Castle.

Ascot, by then, had innovatively introduced the top jockeys to the crowd in the parade ring and Murtagh had winked and divulged that he thought he had “quite a few” chances. No exaggeration there, then. Two on the board already, four days to come and Murtagh is already 2-7 to finish as top jockey.

We can only hope that the rest of the week passes with rather less hysteria over Ascot's tongue-in-cheek style advice on such matters as the wearing of knickers. It was a joke that received more column inches and airtime than the racecourse had ever imagined. Not that they were worried - for the first time in two years, it diverted everyone from complaining about the grandstand.