Ombudsman kickstarted his British flat season with a bang by winning the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on Thursday evening. The five-year-old returned to home turf with a narrow victory over Gethin at the Surrey track.
The margin of success did not tell the whole story though. William Buick gave Ombudsman a nurturing ride, enough to win by a neck. However, there looks to once again be plenty more to come from John & Thady Gosden’s charge, especially as he was conceding the improving runner-up 7lb due to his Group 1 wins.
That penalty was referenced by William Buick in a glowing post-race interview, via the Racing Post: “It’s a lot to carry 7lb, but he’s a proper Group 1 horse. He had to give that to genuine stakes performers and he came here with improvement left in him. John and Thady had him spot on for what was needed today, but he’ll progress for loftier assignments ahead.
Last year, Ombudsman was beaten on his return in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes. Almaqam got the better of him then, but it did not stop the Godolphin runner going one better at Royal Ascot the following month. This year, Ombudsman will be aiming to complete a Sandown-Ascot double. The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes will be the aim once again after his superb success in the race 12 months ago.
Bookmakers have him as the second favourite to win that Group 1 prize again. Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz is the only horse priced shorter.
“He’s more professional now” – Gosden
Ombudsman won in flashy fashion at Ascot last year. His Prince Of Wales’s win in 2025 was a breakthrough at the highest level, with further Group 1s since following in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York and the Dubai Turf at Meydan earlier this year.
Age has not dimmed his brilliance yet, but John Gosden does believe it has had other positive effects.
“He’s more professional now as he doesn’t waste any energy. He’s like an old boxer. The mile and a quarter races are pretty obvious for where he’ll be going. We’ll go to Ascot and then on from there.
“It should be a fabulous race with Daryz coming over from France. It’s what the game is about: top-quality horses meeting in those events. It could just be the race of the meeting.”
The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the feature on day two of Royal Ascot. It is due off at 4.20pm UK time.