Ombudsman successfully defended his Prince of Wales’s Stakes crown with a brilliant display in Royal Ascot’s day two feature.
A quality field of eight runners went to post for the 10-furlong Group One, with John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman the 11-10 favourite to become the first horse to go back-to-back in this event since the Gosden-trained Muhtarram in 1995.
In a race run at a furious gallop as the pacesetting pair of Devil’s Advocate and Mississippi River went at it hammer and tongs in front, William Buick was happy to take his time aboard the market leader before producing him to challenge halfway up the straight.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Daryz and multiple Group One-winning filly Minnie Hauk were both in there pitching as the pacemakers faltered, but neither could resist the electric turn of Ombudsman, who powered clear late on to win in hugely impressive fashion by four lengths from Minnie Hauk.
John Gosden said: “Aidan [O’Brien] had a pacemaker and we thought we would have ours doing what we wanted to do as well so they wound up meeting as they came off the bend so they obviously agreed on the pace.
“A furlong and a half to go I thought, ‘they are going to have to get to them’ but this horse has got a turn of foot, great acceleration for a mile and a quarter horse and he just showed that class.
“It was quite something to come away from the field like that. The filly [Minnie Hauk] ran great, the Arc winner Daryz ran great. Probably the horse that won in Ireland [Almaqam] might not have run his race today because he would usually have been in the shake-up but overall I thought it was one of the great performances of his career.
“He is very elegant. He is strong for sure. We will watch him for the next week to 10 days and the horse will tell you [how he is]. You just watch them. You know their habits when they are right when they are 100 per cent, when they are full of it and when they are under par. The Juddmonte International would be the major target. He likes York.
“We are very lucky to have wonderful owners to send us those horses because you can’t train empty boxes. He is right up there with what he has done. Enable, she won everything.
“He is a lovely horse who will make a good stallion and he’s got a mind as well as a fabulous body and strength. He is too good to go a mile and a half!”
Blue Bolt dazzles as Balding lands Duke of Cambridge
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Blue Bolt stormed to victory in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes on day two at Royal Ascot
Blue Bolt cruised to victory and earned Andrew Balding his first success in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The 5-2 favourite was a picture of calmness as Amo Racing duo Carolina Jetstream and Cathedral and Shes Perfect battled for the early lead.
Blue Bolt remained in midfield but just as the pace dropped at the two-furlong pole, the Blue Point filly eased into contention, with jockey Colin Keane still unmoved.
Keane pushed Blue Bolt on to burst clear and seal a comfortable length-and-three-quarter win for the Kingclere handler, with Jancis and the fast-finishing and slightly unfortunate Friendly Soul taking minor honours.
“This has been the plan since she ran so well in the Sun Chariot at the end of last year,” said Balding.
“Barring her first start at Southwell where I don’t know what happened there, she has never run a bad race and we’ve had this in our minds for a good while. It’s lovely when a plan comes together.
“We’ve got to have another go for a Group One now and she’s been placed in one, but deserves more cracks to try to win one at that level.
“She’s a star and is relaxing much better this year which is really helpful.
“Colin Keane has given her an amazing ride there because it was not an easy draw but he was decisive and got a position and that really helped her win her race. It was a super job and I was always confident she would keep going.
“The Falmouth could be a good fit for her if she comes out of this well. She might get an entry in the Nassau but it would be nice to get a Group One won and we know she stays the mile well so she will stay at a mile for the time being.”
One-eyed Victorious impresses in Queen Mary
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Victorious, who has one eye, impressed as she won the Queen Mary Stakes to open day two at Royal Ascot, bringing up Aidan O’Brien’s 99th victory at the meeting
Victorious lived up to her name when maintaining her unbeaten record in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Wootton Bassett filly was on a hat-trick following successive spring wins at Naas, most recently landing a Group Three at Naas over six furlongs.
Dropping back to five furlongs for the Group Two opener on day two of the Royal meeting, Aidan O’Brien’s filly – who is blind in her left eye – travelled strongly in the far side group under Ryan Moore and rocketed home once asked the question to get up and win comfortably by two lengths.
Senorita Bonita filled the runner-up spot, with Wesley Ward’s American raider Ruiva performing best of those that raced closest to the stands in third.
“Ryan gave her a brilliant ride. She is a filly with one eye so she’s always lacked a bit of confidence but she’s been coming along lovely,” said O’Brien, registering his 99th Royal Ascot winner.
“She’s incredible, we knew she was very classy and we’ve always felt that she’d be very good.
“Going back to five [furlongs] in this type of race, sometimes you can get lost, but it was lovely how Ryan got her racing in a small group.
“In her left eye she doesn’t have any sight, so he slowly got her out and reassured her all the time. He rode her in Naas and he really loved her.
“We knew she was very good but sometimes over five they might not get everything together but we were very hopeful.
“The people around her are the ones who are very careful not to frighten her, they’ve taught her everything very slowly.
“They’ve done a great job, it’s all about the people dealing with her and I’m so delighted for them.
“Ryan nursed and then when he knew she was happy that she knew where she was going, he then said, ‘go’.”
Limestone toughs it out in Queen’s Vase thriller
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The Queen’s Vase served up a thriller on day two at Royal Ascot as Limestone beat Del Maro by a nose in a photo finish
Limestone got up in the shadow of the post to pip Godolphin’s Del Maro, giving Classic-winning jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle a second Royal Ascot winner.
With a furlong to go in the one-mile-six-furlong contest it looked as though 40-1 outsider Ranga Tang was going to hold on to deliver another shock result at the Royal meeting.
But McGonagle, who won the Oaks with Thundering On at Epsom, got a rousing finish out of the Joseph O’Brien-trained three-year-old to pip Del Maro on the line.
The 10-3 shot beat the Godolphin horse by a nose with pacesetter Ranga Tang hanging on for third.
