Constitution River and Ombudsman: the explanations behind an unexpected defeat

KNAVESMIRE, England (Special for Turf Diario).— The Juddmonte International (G1) promised a spectacular showdown between Constitution River (Wootton Bassett) and Ombudsman (Night of Thunder), but ended up delivering an entirely different story. Item (Frankel) snatched the glory at York, Almaqam (Lope de Vega) was left at the threshold of victory, and the two major contenders had to settle for third and fourth.

The explanations arrived in the aftermath. For Aidan O’Brien, the race shape ultimately played decisively against Constitution River. For John Gosden, however, Ombudsman met a track far too soft to showcase his customary acceleration.

From the moment the gates opened, it became clear the expected script would not unfold. Devil’s Advocate (Too Darn Hot), the presumed pacemaker for Ombudsman, showed no intent to press for the lead, while Action (Frankel), tasked with setting the tempo for Ballydoyle, broke poorly.

Consequently, Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) inherited the lead almost by default, with Constitution River and Ryan Moore tracking right behind. Ombudsman, meanwhile, sat last under William Buick.

"It didn't go the way we thought. We thought John's pacemaker would go forward and ours would follow him, but John's didn't go and ours broke badly," Aidan O’Brien explained.

The situation left Wayne Lordan and Hawk Mountain setting the pace—a role ill-suited to the horse's nature. "Wayne ended up in front on a rather lazy horse, and it was hard for him to judge the pace. On that ground, he felt he had gone a bit too fast," the Irish conditioner added.

Constitution River, winner this season of the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) and the Coral-Eclipse (G1), was also unable to travel with his usual composure. When Devil’s Advocate made a wide move, Ryan Moore was forced into action sooner than desired.

"Ryan ended up hitting the front earlier than he wanted. The horse was a bit fresh early on and, having been off for a while, he got a little tired at the end. Because of all that, he ended up losing," Aidan O’Brien summarized.

Far from being overly concerned by the defeat, the trainer was confident that Constitution River will take a step forward in his next outing.

"Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. I think the race shape caught everyone by surprise. I am delighted for the winner and the second; we will live to fight another day, and we believe he will improve for the next run."

All signs point toward that redemption coming in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown. "I imagine that's what the lads will want to do, and we will look forward to it," Aidan O’Brien anticipated.

The scenario was different for Ombudsman. For John Gosden, the rain and resulting softening of the course were the determining factors that kept the horse—who had brilliantly won this very race 12 months prior—from ever unleashing his full potential.

"It was the ground. The jockeys said it was soft, and that didn't suit him at all," explained the trainer, who shares a license with his son Thady Gosden.

According to John Gosden, William Buick felt fairly early on that Ombudsman was not comfortable: "William was in trouble from quite a long way out. Between the 800 and the 600 meters he was struggling. He made a late run, but he knew he was going to flatten out."

The priority will now be locating firm footing. John Gosden did not rule out waiting until the Breeders’ Cup if proper conditions fail to materialize sooner.

"We will look for better ground in the future. That doesn't necessarily mean the Irish Champion because we don't know what the track will be like there. We definitely want faster ground, even if we have to wait for the Breeders’ Cup. We know this isn't his surface, and we always try to avoid it."

John Gosden also recalled warning against reducing the Juddmonte to a simple two-horse match race: "When everyone was saying it was a two-horse race, I said something usually happens. The winner is undefeated at York."

The one who came within inches of capitalizing entirely on the favorites' missteps was Almaqam. The Ed Walkertrainee managed to pass both market leaders and seemed to have the race wrapped up, only for Item to nail him in the final strides.

"He is a G1 winner and came close to winning a Juddmonte, probably one of the best races of the season. When he gets his conditions, he is exceptional," Ed Walker praised.

With his retirement scheduled for the end of the year, Almaqam will target two main objectives ahead: the Irish Champion Stakes and the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Thus, York left scar tissue, but nothing permanent. Constitution River will seek redemption, and Ombudsman will go in search of firm ground. The duel the Juddmonte promised may have simply been put on hold.