Night Of Thunder’s extraordinary season continues as Ombudsman lands Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
Darley’s former shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) chalked up his fourth individual Group/Grade 1 winner in 2025 and continued what has proven to be a stellar season already when his son Ombudsman careered away with the feature race on day two of this year’s Royal Ascot meeting, the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f).
A son of the powerhouse operation’s breed-shaping stallion Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), Night Of Thunder had sired the winner of the English 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) just last month in Desert Flower, and continued his sharp rise through Europe’s leading stallion ranks courtesy of Wednesday’s result.
Ombudsman, whose only defeat from five career starts prior to the Prince Of Wales’s was on his seasonal return when finishing runner-up to Almaqam (Lope De Vega) in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 2f) last month, was becoming the second winner from the last three runnings of the Group 1 contest for trainers John and Thady Gosden – following on from Mostahdaf (Frankel) in 2023.
Ridden by Godolphin’s leading rider William Buick, the colt was stuck behind a wall of horses inside the final two furlongs but, when peeled out by his rider, produced a quality turn of foot at the furlong pole and maintained a strong gallop from there on in to deny October’s Champions Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) winner Anmaat (Awtaad) by two lengths.
There was a further two and a quarter lengths back to last-start 12-length Middleton Fillies’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 2.5f) scorer See The Fire (Sea The Stars) in third.
“He was impressive. They went a hard gallop. I was always going to have to ride for a bit of luck, and he quickened instantly. I thought he was impressive,” the winning rider said.
“He is a cool horse, a very talented horse. We were drawn [in stall] one, we always thought they would go a good gallop. We had to ride for a bit of luck and I had to look for a couple of gaps. The horse was good enough to quicken up from it; he quickened up well and won well in the end. He was the unknown quantity in the race. I thought he was impressive, very impressive.
“I think that was a taste of what’s to come for sure. He’s got low miles on the clock, he’s an exciting horse for sure.”
John Gosden, who was enjoying his sixth-career win in the contest now worth £1 million (approx. AU$2.06 million), waxed lyrical about his colt post-race.
“The plan was to just relax off the pace, which was strong, set up for Los Angeles, who is a real dour, long-striding staying horse, but to that extent we knew we’d be comfortable where we were,” Gosden said.
“We had the French horse [Facteur Cheval] and James Doyle drawn outside us. It was just the question of when you get in the straight, would you get the luck?
“He wasn’t in a position where he could swing round the field; it was more a case of waiting for the gap. And he was very patient, but I knew when he got a gap at the furlong pole that this horse has an extraordinary turn of foot.
“So he was patient and he was rewarded, but there’s nothing like when you get those fractions right.”
Ombudsman was bred by James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud and, having been offered by the stud during Book 2 of the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, was purchased by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 340,000gns on behalf of Godolphin.
“I think it is all down the owner, because when we bought him with Anthony Stroud, I said, ‘look, he’s an immature horse, give me a chance with him’, and he [Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum] said, ‘take as long as you like’,” Gosden added.
“He didn’t race in his two-year-old year, but as a three-year-old we brought him out and he won his maiden very well at Leicester, and then he won a Listed race at Deauville, then he went to a Group 3, and then we put him away.
“Now he’s fully grown and developed – a proper four-year-old – and because Sheikh Mohammed has been very patient with him, he is getting rewarded. When you are a trainer, it’s very nice to train for people who aren’t putting the pressure on.”
Commenting on where Ombudsman (4 c Night Of Thunder – Syndicate by Dansili) would likely head next, Gosden revealed that he wouldn’t be overly keen to race the colt against his St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m)-winning stablemate Field Of Gold (Kingman).
“He’s a mile and a quarter horse,” Gosden said. “William said he’s got a lot of speed – I said, ‘don’t tell me I’ve got to bring him back to six furlongs!’ But he’s got a wonderful turn of foot, and I think play to that strength and as far as I’m concerned, he’s done nothing but grow in stature.
“He is a horse who, because he hasn’t overraced this year, you could be looking at the Eclipse with. Running him against Field Of Gold wouldn’t be my choice!”
Owen Burrows, who trains the runner-up Anmaat, said of his ultra-consistent seven-year-old: “No real excuses, he’s run an absolute blinder again. Come there to win and credit to John’s horse, who just picked up a bit better than us.
“The others are sort of two-and-a-half lengths back. So proud of him, and no excuses. The [Coral]-Eclipse has been mentioned, but we will just see how he comes out of this. York, Irish Champion… I think back here in October [Champions Stakes] is probably his main [aim], because all being well, we should have a bit of juice in the ground.”
Night Of Thunder was a top-class horse himself on the track, winning both the 2014 English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) – where he famously defeated Kingman (Invincible Spirit) – and the following year’s Lockinge Stakes (Gr 1, 1m).
The Kildangan Stud resident has also sired Choisya to victory in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (Gr 1, 8.5f) and Dynamic Pricing to score in the Just A Game Stakes (Gr 1, 8f) this year, with the latter of those wins coming just 11 days prior to Ombudsman’s success.
He shuttled to Darley Australia in 2016 at a fee of $16,500 (inc GST) but did not return; however was offered for covers on southern hemisphere time in 2024. He stood for a fee of €150,000 (approx. AU$264,930) in 2025 and has sired eight individual top-flight winners and 68 individual stakes winners worldwide.
Eight for Night Of Thunder
Darley’s former shuttler Night Of Thunder chalked up his eighth individual Group 1 winner on Wednesday when the John and Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman (4 c ex Syndicate by Dansili) landed the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f). Ombudsman was bred by James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud and, having been offered by the stud during Book 2 of the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, was purchased by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 340,000gns on behalf of Godolphin. He is a half-brother to winner American Belle (Starspangledbanner) being out of the winning Dansili (Danehill) mare Syndicate, herself a sister to Group 3 winner Runnymede and Listed winner Stipulate. Night Of Thunder stood for a fee of €150,000 (approx. AU$264,930) in 2025.