‘What he did there was mind-blowing’ – Global superstar Ombudsman reigns supreme with pulsating defence of Prince of Wales’s Stakes crown

In a display of sheer dominance and authority, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) collected his second successive Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) titles on Wednesday to a rapturous reception from the Royal Ascot crowd.

Having run out a brilliant two-length winner of the race in 2025, the five-year-old son of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) again displayed his potent turn of foot as he staked his claim to be named the world’s best horse in 2026.

In a contest for the ages that included last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) hero Daryz (Sea The Stars), three-time Oaks winner and Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk (Frankel), and recent Tattersall’s Gold Cup (Gr 1, 1m 2.5f) victor Almaqam (Lope De Vega), Ombudsman trumped them all with a four lengths success under regular pilot William Buick.

Jumping out to a fair line from the gates, the Charlie Appleby-trained entire was allowed to settle at the rear of the eight-runner field as the two pacemakers, his stablemate Devil’s Advocate (Too Darn Hot) and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Mississippi River (Lope De Vega), shot off at a blistering pace for the trip.

With the two leaders still well clear rounding the home bend, the chasing pack began to close gradually heading down the home straight. 

Buick, who was clearly confident in his mount, still waited with Ombudsman before setting him alight hitting the two-furlong pole as the pacesetters began to falter slightly.

Moving up as a trio, Minnie Hauk, Daryz and Ombudsman soon swallowed up the leaders and looked set to battle it out between them.

However, the Gosden runner soon found his trademark extra gear and shot to the front at the furlong pole, careering away under Buick in devastating style. 

O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk stayed on to capture second late on from the Francis Graffard-trained Daryz, who finished a further length and three-quarters back in third.

“I’m privileged to be able to ride these horses, this horse is just an absolute privilege and joy to ride and deal with,” Buick, who was enjoying his 40th Royal Ascot winner, said. 

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

“John and Thady [Gosden] 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 falsely 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.”

Wednesday’s success was a fourth at the highest level for Ombudsman, and co-trainer John Gosden said: “Aidan had a pacemaker and we thought we’d have ours doing what we wanted to do as well so they wound up meeting coming into the bend and off the bend so they were obviously agreed on the pace.

“Devil’s Advocate, with a furlong to go, I thought they’re going to have to go a bit but this horse has got a phenomenal turn of foot, great acceleration for a mile and a quarter horse and he just showed that class. 

“Quite something to come away from a field like that. The filly [Minnie Hauk] ran great, the Arc winner [Daryz] ran great, probably the horse who won in Ireland [Almaqam] might not have run his race today because he’d usually be in the shake-up, but overall I thought it was one of the great performances of his career.”

Gosden added that a return to York for the International Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2.5f), a race Ombudsman won last year following his Royal Ascot victory, would be the likely plan.

“We will watch him and see where we go. The Juddmonte International will be a major target of course, he likes York,” Gosden said.

“We’re very lucky to have some wonderful owners to send us those [top-class] horses because let me tell you, you can’t train empty boxes.”

Asked about a comparison to Gosden’s prior champion filly and mare Enable (Nathaniel), he said: “He’s right up there now with what he’s done but you’re talking about Enable, you know, she won everything; he’s a lovely horse, he’ll make a good stallion. 

“He’s got all the right things, he’s got a good mind as well as a fabulous, fabulous body and strength. He’s too good to go a mile and a half.”

O’Brien was also delighted with the run of his classy four-year-old Minnie Hauk, with the filly bouncing back from a disappointing fifth of seven behind Almaqam in the Tattersall’s Gold Cup last month.

“We were delighted,” O’Brien said, revealing that the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 4f) back at Ascot next month before another crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe likely awaited his filly. 

“We thought what happened the last day, she’s a mile and a half filly really, and over a mile and a quarter she wanted an end-to-end gallop. 

“Obviously that was going to suit the winner as well, by doing that, but she’s a mile and a half filly and it was lovely – if the lads want, they can bring her back for the King George, so I couldn’t be happier with her. 

“She met the horse she ran against in the Arc last year again. She’s so straightforward. Ryan rode her very confidently, like there was no doubt about anything today, and he said she kept travelling down the three past the two [furlong pole], and the winner had a little bit more quicken than her over a mile and a quarter. 

“The lads will decide what they want to do, but I’d say something like, the King George, one more run and then the Arc, yes. That would work very well. This was the perfect prep for the King George today.”

Graffard, however, was a little disappointed in how the race played out for his colt Daryz – who was chasing a fourth Group 1 of his own on Wednesday.

“I don’t know what to say, he just didn’t have a very good run,” the Frenchman said. “They had these two pacemakers that go forward quite clear and my horse was not covered; he never really relaxed and had a chance to take a breath. 

“I don’t think he travelled relaxed through the race; he was out of his rhythm all the time, and that’s why he shortened up his action at the end. 

“Ombudsman had a perfect run and didn’t have to make any effort up to entering the straight, while we had to make effort all the time. That’s the way the race went. 

“We didn’t see the Daryz of Longchamp when he was nice and relaxed and quickened really strongly. Today he was not like that.”

In winning Wednesday’s feature, Ombudsman incredibly became the third Group 1 winner at the royal meeting for Night Of Thunder already, with Darley’s former shuttler having had Bow Echo land Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) and Ten Bob Tony score in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) on the same day.