Ombudsman produces stunning performance in Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Ombudsman successfully defended his Prince of Wales’s Stakes crown with a brilliant display in Royal Ascot’s day two feature.

A quality field of eight runners went to post for the 10-furlong Group One, with John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman the 11-10 favourite to become the first horse to go back-to-back in this event since the Gosden-trained Muhtarram in 1995.

In a race run at a furious gallop as the pacesetting pair of Devil’s Advocate and Mississippi River went at it hammer in tongs in front, William Buick was happy to take his time aboard the market leader before producing him to challenge halfway up the straight.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz and multiple Group One-winning filly Minnie Hauk were both in there pitching as the pacemakers faltered, but neither could resist the electric turn of Ombudsman, who powered clear late on to win in hugely impressive fashion by four lengths from Minnie Hauk.

John Gosden said: “Aidan (O’Brien) had a pacemaker and we thought we would have ours doing what we wanted to do as well so they wound up meeting as they came off the bend so they obviously agreed on the pace.

“A furlong and a half to go I thought ‘they are going to have to get to them’ but this horse has got a turn of foot, great acceleration for a mile and a quarter horse and he just showed that class.

“It was quite something to come away from the field like that. The filly (Minnie Hauk) ran great, the Arc winner Daryz ran great. Probably the horse that won in Ireland (Almaqam) might not have run his race today because he would usually have been in the shake-up but overall I thought it was one of the great performances of his career.

“He is very elegant. He is strong for sure. We will watch him for the next week to 10 days and the horse will tell you (how he is). You just watch them. You know their habits when they are right when they are 100 per cent, when they are full of it and when they are under par. The Juddmonte International would be the major target. He likes York.

“We are very lucky to have wonderful owners to send us those horses because you can’t train empty boxes. He is right up there with what he has done. Enable, she won everything.

“He is a lovely horse who will make a good stallion and he’s got a mind as well as a fabulous body and strength. . He is too good to go a mile and a half!”

Buick, riding his 40th winner at the meering, now rates Ombudsman among the best horses he has ever ridden.

“I’m privileged to be able to ride these horses, this horse is just an absolute privilege and joy to ride and deal with,” he said.

“What he did there was mind blowing. His turn of foot is that of a miler but he stays 10 furlongs, it was an amazing performance.

“John and Thady had him in great shape. I’m the lucky man on top.

“He’s a closer, people want pacemakers because they don’t want a false run race. I was never too far from the horse I needed to be near and I was comfortable the whole way, it was very smooth and all credit to the horse.

“I’ve ridden some amazing horses but this horse has an electric turn of foot and he must be right up there.

“Today, he pleasantly surprised me a little bit how well he did it and the feel he gave me, he was exceptional – it’s very rare for a horse to do what he did.”