Ombudsman impresses in Juddmonte International at York
The 7-4 favourite was ridden by William Buick for John and Thady Gosden, with the fellow Godolphin-owned runner Birr Castle sent out to make the running as a rank outsider in the field of six.
The latter horse was afforded an enormous lead and as he rounded the turn for home it looked quite possible that the chasing pack would not catch him, but as he tired, Ombudsman was gaining ground.
He eventually swept through to grab the lead and while Delacroix also made late gains, Ombudsman emerged a three-and-a-half-length winner.
Ombudsman follows up Royal Ascot glory and his Coral-Eclipse second with a thrilling success in our highlight of the year, the £1.3m Juddmonte International Stakes.
Congratulations to William Buick, John and Thady Gosden and @godolphin @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/cy8Sa4A5h0
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) August 20, 2025
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The 42
a day ago
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Aidan O'Brien still positive despite Lambourn's Voltigeur defeat
AIDAN O'BRIEN WAS not too despondent after watching his dual Derby winner Lambourn trail home in fifth place in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur at York. A mildly surprising winner at Epsom, he then doubled up at the Curragh in the Irish equivalent and despite giving weight away all round to his rivals, he was sent off the 4-5 favourite to confirm his position as the best mile-and-a-half colt of his generation. However, Ryan Moore was hard at work from some way out as first stablemate Stay True loomed up looking a threat, before the Ballydoyle duo were swamped by Ralph Beckett's Pride Of Arras. The winner had scored impressively in the Dante at the track in May but finished well behind Lambourn at both Epsom and the Curragh and had subsequently been gelded. O'Brien fielded four in the Group Two and they filled the final four positions. Lambourn is now 5-1 for the St Leger with Coral as his stable companion Scandinavia hardened to 4-5 favourite for the final Classic. Advertisement 'He went grand, they went steady and he's lazy, I think it was a steadily-run race,' said O'Brien of Lambourn. 'All of them ran grand. The reason we ran Lambourn here was so that he had the option of either the Leger or the Arc. 'I don't think the Leger trip will be a problem, we know he stays a mile and a half well. 'Ryan (Moore) said he felt like he got a little bit tired but we'll see how he is. 'Stay True ran a lovely race, he's always looked a lovely horse for the Leger so it looks like he'll be happy doing that.' One horse who enhanced his reputation despite losing his unbeaten record was the Paddy Twomey-trained Carmers, the Queen's Vase winner from Royal Ascot who was dropping in trip. He got caught flat-footed when the pace quickened before staying on for second, beaten a length. 'He maybe didn't get the run of the race but I think it was a very good trial for the Leger,' said Twomey. 'I think he's learned more today than he had in any race he won. It's a big run and back up to the mile and six (furlongs) will suit him. 'I don't think the ground makes any difference to him.' Elsewhere, Ombudsman eventually came out on top in an exciting renewal of the Juddmonte International Stakes at York. The 7-4 favourite was ridden by William Buick for John and Thady Gosden, with the fellow Godolphin-owned runner Birr Castle sent out to make the running as a rank outsider in the field of six. The latter horse was afforded an enormous lead and as he rounded the turn for home it looked quite possible that the chasing pack would not catch him, but as he tired, Ombudsman was gaining ground. He eventually swept through to grab the lead and while Delacroix also made late gains, Ombudsman emerged a three-and-a-half-length winner.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Ombudsman eventually sweeps to York glory after another 150-1 pacemaker threatens upset
The saying is pace makes the race and if the 150-1 pacemaker Birr Castle threatened to turn Wednesday's Juddmonte International into a farce he ultimately set it up perfectly for Ombudsman to stamp his authority in York. For much of the race, though, it looked like turning into a repeat of last month's Sussex Stakes when another 150-1 pacemaker, Qirat, held out for an unlikely victory as the big guns behind him involved themselves in a tactical morass. Birr Castle was sent from France by Andre Fabre to cut out the pace for Godolphin's 7-4 favourite Ombudsman and try to avoid the muddling tempo blamed for the latter's defeat by Aidan O'Brien's Delacroix in Sandown's Eclipse. Rab Havlin did his job to the letter and cut out even fractions on Birr Castle. But the five other big guns, led by Japan's Danon Decile, opted to sit off him, concentrating on each other rather than the leader. At halfway Birr Castle was clear. On the turn in he had a lead of up to 30 lengths. READ MORE 'I thought two furlongs out Andre had won the race!' admitted Ombudsman's relieved joint-trainer John Gosden. Beforehand Fabre had joked to the Englishman about wanting another Qirat result. But it was a gag that threatened to get very close to the bone. Gosden's Field Of Gold was the biggest gun of all in the Sussex, but this time Ombudsman eventually came through to pick off Birr Castle, William Buick getting all the plaudits for judgment that winning riders usually get. Godolphin's sixth winner of the prestigious race ultimately reversed Sandown form with Delacroix by three-and-a-half lengths. Birr Castle plugged on for an unlikely third with See The Fire beating Danon Decile for fourth. If the 'right' horse won according to the market it still made for an unsatisfactory spectacle for such a major race. It also underlined once again that for all that pacemakers supposedly ensure an even gallop for everyone, they can come with a level of peril too. 'It was just a sprint, just a mess, really,' said O'Brien, someone usually keener than most to use pacemakers, although reliant solely on Delacroix this time. Buick, for his part, adopted a 'never in doubt' position, although the race hardly unfolded predictably. Rossa Ryan riding Pride Of Arras (right) to win the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York. Photograph:'A lot of things were going through my mind. I didn't expect Danon Decile to take back, I thought he wanted to chase the pace. Rab did his job beautifully and his horse finished third. 'This horse put in an amazing performance – unbelievable – so I'm delighted with him. He's a very, very special horse and he showed all his attributes today,' he said. Next month's Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown is Ombudsman's likely next port of call where complicated pace scenarios are hardly unknown either. 'What happened was the Japanese jockey was with Rab but then he kept taking back and let Rab slip the field. Past the two marker, he was still six lengths in front. William said when he let him go, he absolutely flew and went from second gear to fifth gear in the blink of an eye,' Gosden said. 'This is a great win, but I did think for a moment Andre would be the lucky man!' he added. It was a frustrating day for O'Brien whose dual-Derby winner Lambourn was one of four Ballydoyle runners in the Great Voltigeur, only for none of them to make the frame. Instead, it was Pride Of Arras who repeated his course win in May's Dante on his first run after a gelding operation. Due to that unkind cut he can't run in the St Leger but Paddy Twomey's runner-up Carmers is on course for Doncaster and another possible duel with Lambourn, who was only fifth. O'Brien said: 'He went grand, they went steady and he's lazy, I think it was a steadily-run race. All of them ran grand. The reason we ran Lambourn here was so that he had the option of either the Leger or the Arc. I don't think the Leger trip will be a problem, we know he stays a mile and a half well.' O'Brien's Italy had to settle for second in the Group Three Acomb Stakes behind the Andrew Balding winner Gewan.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Aidan O'Brien still positive despite Lambourn's Voltigeur defeat
Aidan O'Brien was not too despondent after watching his dual Derby winner Lambourn trail home in fifth place in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur at York. A mildly surprising winner at Epsom, he then doubled up at the Curragh in the Irish equivalent and despite giving weight away all round to his rivals, he was sent off the 4-5 favourite to confirm his position as the best mile-and-a-half colt of his generation. However, Ryan Moore was hard at work from some way out as first stablemate Stay True loomed up looking a threat, before the Ballydoyle duo were swamped by Ralph Beckett's Pride Of Arras. The winner had scored impressively in the Dante at the track in May but finished well behind Lambourn at both Epsom and the Curragh and had subsequently been gelded. O'Brien fielded four in the Group Two and they filled the final four positions. Lambourn is now 5-1 for the St Leger with Coral as his stable companion Scandinavia hardened to 4-5 favourite for the final Classic. "He went grand, they went steady and he's lazy, I think it was a steadily-run race," said O'Brien of Lambourn. "All of them ran grand. The reason we ran Lambourn here was so that he had the option of either the Leger or the Arc. "I don't think the Leger trip will be a problem, we know he stays a mile and a half well. "Ryan (Moore) said he felt like he got a little but tired but we'll see how he is. "Stay True ran a lovely race, he's always looked a lovely horse for the Leger so it looks like he'll be happy doing that." One horse who enhanced his reputation despite losing his unbeaten record was the Paddy Twomey-trained Carmers, the Queen's Vase winner from Royal Ascot who was dropping in trip. He got caught flat-footed when the pace quickened before staying on for second, beaten a length. "He maybe didn't get the run of the race but I think it was a very good trial for the Leger," said Twomey. "I think he's learned more today than he had in any race he won. It's a big run and back up to the mile and six (furlongs) will suit him. "I don't think the ground makes any difference to him." Meanwhile, Ombudsman eventually came out on top in an exciting renewal of the Juddmonte International Stakes. The 7-4 favourite was ridden by William Buick for John and Thady Gosden, with the fellow Godolphin-owned runner Birr Castle sent out to make the running as a rank outsider in the field of six. The latter horse was afforded an enormous lead and as he rounded the turn for home it looked quite possible that the chasing pack would not catch him, but as he tired, Ombudsman was gaining ground. He eventually swept through to grab the lead and while Delacroix also made late gains, Ombudsman emerged a three-and-a-half-length winner.
