Ombudsman Crushed the Field and Established Himself as One of Europe's Leading Stars
- Turf Diario
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He Defended His Crown in the Prince of Wales's Stakes with a Memorable Exhibition, Leaving Minnie Hauk and Daryz Without Answers
The preview promised a clash of titans between the French champion Daryz (Sea the Stars), the remarkable mare Minnie Hauk (Frankel), and the defending champion Ombudsman. What the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) ultimately delivered was a demonstration of authority rarely seen in a race of such caliber.
With a devastating turn of foot in the final 400 meters, the Godolphin representative not only retained the crown he captured last year but did so in crushing fashion, becoming just the fourth horse in history to win this event in consecutive seasons.
Ridden with absolute confidence by William Buick, the son of Night Of Thunder traveled relaxed behind the leaders Mississippi River (Lope de Vega) and Devil's Advocate (Too Darn Hot), two pacemakers that set a sustained tempo from the start. While his main rivals began working to maintain their positions, Ombudsman appeared to be galloping effortlessly.
Upon entering the straight, Buick angled him toward the center of the track, and right there, the race was over. Minnie Hauk, the classic heroine from Ballydoyle, and Daryz, winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), attempted to mount a challenge, but neither could match the champion's gear change.
In a matter of seconds, Ombudsman went from stalking to completely dominating the field, crossing the wire 4 lengths clear of Minnie Hauk, while Daryz finished third, another length and three-quarters back.
The magnitude of the performance was reflected in the words of John Gosden, who did not hide his admiration for his trainee: "He possesses a phenomenal turn of foot for a 2000-meter horse. He has extraordinary speed and showed all his class today. To pull away from a field like this and do it in this manner is something truly special," the trainer summarized.
Gosden, who had already won this race back-to-back with Muhtarram (Alleged) in 1994 and 1995, rated the performance as one of the finest of Ombudsman's entire career: "It was a great race. The filly ran beautifully, the Arc winner also put in a good effort, and perhaps Almaqam just didn't have his day. But what Ombudsman did was extraordinary. The Juddmonte International now looms as a natural target because he loves York," he added.
Buick was also left awestruck by the feel he got from the saddle: "We knew he arrived in great shape. He was coming off a win in the Dubai Turf (G1) and had an ideal prep at Sandown. But not even we expected a performance like that," he confessed.
The jockey explained that the race unfolded exactly as anticipated, with a genuine pace and plenty of high-class rivals to track. "There was tremendous respect for Daryz, Minnie Hauk, and Almaqam (Lope de Vega). However, the way Ombudsman accelerated surprised even me. Very few horses are capable of doing something like that," he noted.
Meanwhile, the connections of Minnie Hauk came away satisfied. The Aidan O'Brien pupil, clearly better suited to 2400 meters, found this shorter trip to be an ideal prep for bigger targets.
"She is a mile-and-a-half mare and needed a race like this to get her sharp. Ryan said she traveled perfectly and the winner simply had too much speed over this distance. We are thinking of something like the King George before heading back to the Arc," the Irish trainer explained.
The major disappointment was Daryz, who arrived with an impeccable campaign in 2026 and with the objective of proving that his subpar performance last year in England had been nothing more than an accident.
However, the French champion never found his comfort zone during the running: "We didn't see the Daryz of ParisLongchamp. The pacemakers went ahead, my horse never had cover, and he never managed to switch off. He was out of rhythm the entire race, and that's why he had no response at the finish," lamented Francis-Henri Graffard.
Beyond the explanations, the afternoon belonged entirely to one horse. Ombudsman had already proven himself to be one of the best horses in the world by winning the Dubai Turf (G1), the Prince of Wales's Stakes, and the Juddmonte International. But what he achieved this Wednesday at Ascot elevated his stature even further. Facing a field of genuine stars, he simply made them look like ordinary horses.
