By Tom Frary
Thriving for a searching pace made by the Ballydoyle runners, Godolphin's Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) leapt to the fore to win Wednesday's G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes. Anchored behind by William Buick early, the John and Thady Gosden-trained 7-1 shot powered past labouring rivals and beyond the reigning Champion Stakes title-holder Anmaat (Awtaad) to score by two lengths in a show of finishing power. There was a 2 1/2-length margin back to See The Fire (Sea The Stars) in third, with the 13-8 favourite Los Angeles (Camelot) looking to have gone too fast and paying the price in the straight.
“This place tames lions–it is so special to win here, because it's so tough,” Buick said as he celebrated his first winner of the week. “I was looking for room and had to switch him a couple of times, but he has won with a bit in hand. I was very impressed with what he did there and he picked up instantly from me having to switch his course.”
WOW! OMBUDSMAN THROUGH TRAFFIC TO WIN THE PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES! #ROYALASCOT pic.twitter.com/xRL1TAXgbz
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 18, 2025
Ombudsman, whose career prior to this had been highlighted by a win in the G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange last term and a second to Almaqam in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes last month, ran the race in 2:02.51, the second-fastest since it was staged as a Group 1. He is only the second horse to clock under 2:03 for the prestige event, a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, after the stable's course-record holder The Fugue in 2014.
John Gosden, who was greeting his 70th winner as a sole trainer and in partnership with Thady, was quick to pay tribute to the leader of the Boys In Blue. “I think it is all down the owner Sheikh Mohammed, because when we bought him with Anthony Stroud I said 'look, he's an immature horse, give me a chance with him' and he said 'take as long as you like'. Sheikh Mohammed is without doubt the easiest owner I've ever trained for,” he said. “Now Ombudsman has fully grown and developed, he's a proper four-year-old and the owner is getting rewarded.”
While Los Angeles was being put through the tests of the Derby and Irish Derby last summer, Ombudsman was being nurtured at Newmarket, Leicester and Deauville with the Listed Prix Nureyev his first black-type test. He had Map Of Stars (Sea The Stars) behind when following up on his next visit to France for the Prix du Prince d'Orange and was giving weight to the Ed Walker-trained winner on his return in the Brigadier Gerard.
Allowed time to fully mature, Ombudsman was finally ready for a fierce encounter such as this and if he had been in any way still raw the nature of this contest would have undone him. With Continuous (Heart's Cry) pressing on with murderous intent, Los Angeles was truly committed in his slipstream and asked to go places even he hadn't been before. By the time he reached the straight, he was already flagging after such a hard early effort and it was clear that he was a sitting duck.
Ombudsman closed out with a final furlong in 11.82, relishing the drying surface which was producing quick times all afternoon and marking himself as a genuine elite performer at the trip. Gosden Sr was in awe. “This horse has an extraordinary turn of foot,” he said. “The plan was to just relax off the pace, which was strong and set up for Los Angeles who is a real dour, long-striding staying horse. He has done nothing but grow in stature and I think we had him spot-on. He is a horse who, because he hasn't over-raced this year, you could be looking at the Eclipse with.”
Owen Burrows said of Anmaat, “He has run an absolute blinder again. He has come there to win and credit to John's horse, who just picked up a bit better than us. We know that he has a preference for a bit of juice in the ground, but Jim [Crowley] said I can't make that as an excuse. Possibly he can quicken on softer ground when others perhaps can't.”
“The Eclipse has been mentioned, but we will just see how he comes out of this,” he added. “York, Irish Champion–I think back here in October is probably his main aim because, all being well, we should have juice in the ground.”
See The Fire's jockey Oisin Murphy said: “That was a career-best. The race set up for a closer–it was an end-to-end gallop. A good run.”
Pedigree Notes
Ombudsman is the second foal out of Syndicate, a 25,000gns Juddmonte cast-off at the 2017 Tattersalls December Sale who is a full-sister to the G3 Premio Carlo Vittadini winner Runnymede and the dual Listed winner and G2 Celebration Mile runner-up Stipulate. Her second dam is the listed scorer Insinuate (Mr. Prospector), who produced the Group 3 winners Convey (Dansili) and Stronghold by Dansili's sire Danehill.
The fourth dam is All At Sea (Riverman), who captured the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and was placed in the G1 Oaks and G1 Juddmonte International. From the family of the four-times Group 1-winning Twice Over (Observatory), Syndicate's 2-year-old full-sister to the winner named Synchronicity was a 900,000gns purchase by SackvilleDonald at Tattersalls October Book 1. Her yearling filly is by Ten Sovereigns.
Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES-G1, £1,057,500, Royal Ascot, 6-18, 4yo/up, 9f 212yT, 2:02.51, g/f.
1–OMBUDSMAN (IRE), 128, c, 4, by Night of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Syndicate (GB), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Indication (GB), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Insinuate, by Mr. Prospector
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (340,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-J Hanly; T-John & Thady Gosden; J-William Buick. £599,708. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 6-5-1-0, $913,448. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Anmaat (Ire), 128, g, 7, Awtaad (Ire)–African Moonlight (UAE), by Halling. (140,000gns Wlg '18 TATFOA). O-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd; B-Ringfort Stud; T-Owen Burrows. £227,363.
3–See The Fire (GB), 125, f, 4, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Arabian Queen (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). O-Mr J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud; T-Andrew Balding. £113,787.
Margins: 2, 2HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.00, 5.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Map Of Stars (GB), Los Angeles (Ire), Facteur Cheval (Ire), Royal Champion (Ire), Continuous (Jpn). Scratched: Certain Lad (GB).
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