By Tom Frary
For a long while in Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International Stakes, it looked as if we would have another pacemaker summer shock but ultimately the class of Godolphin's Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) told once again and common sense prevailed on the Knavesmire. Blessed with the best acceleration of the sextet, the Gosdens' 7-4 favourite was the first to claw back the operation's rabbit Birr Castle (Cloth Of Stars), who was proverbially in another district under Rab Havlin turning for home, and register a 3 1/2-length defeat of his Eclipse conqueror Delacroix (Dubawi). He was the only other runner able to get by the Andre Fabre-trained pacemaker, with half a length the margin between them at the line.
“The idea was to run the pacemaker and the way he was going to be used would be determined by the way the race went,” William Buick said. “To be honest, Rab [Havlin] got the fractions spot-on on a proper Stakes horse, so I was thinking 'this is dangerous' and I had to cut the deficit myself. He then went again, which is a hard thing to do, but he has a great mind and is amazing. He's a beautiful horse to ride and we couldn't believe he got beaten in the Eclipse, but today he put it right.”
Ombudsman lacked the strong pace to run at in the Eclipse that he had enjoyed at Royal Ascot and while he had that here it was of little use for the most part as the race split in two. While Havlin was doing what he had been asked to the letter on the multiple Group-placed 109-rated Birr Castle out in isolation, the main protagonists were following Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) who was running slower than par as Keita Tosaki sought to anchor the free-running Japanese raider.
It was the winner's 10.94 split from the three to the two that narrowed the gap and suddenly made what had looked to the naked eye a bridge too far not long before in one of the most unusual sights ever witnessed at this meeting. His superiority was confirmed with his 11.99 final sectional as the only runner to dip under 12 seconds at that all-important part of the race. The end 109.56% finishing speed percentage revealed an unknown versatility, as Ombudsman showed he can really turn it on at the death in a slowly-run affair as well as he had after a fast-run one at the Royal meeting.
“Andre [Fabre] had said, if I lend you the horse make sure its like Goodwood! I thought it was looking dangerous two out, but all's well that end's well and our horse went into overdrive,” John Gosden said. “He has a phenomenal turn of foot and this settles the Eclipse story, if you like, as that was a muddling affair and we'll leave it at that. Full marks to Delacroix, but in an evenly-run race we were the superior horse today.”
Ombudsman actually qualifies for an automatic berth in the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, but if he heads to Del Mar it is going to be in the Turf according to his trainer. “The obvious races are the Irish Champion and the Champion Stakes at Ascot–he is in the Arc, but we'd have to think long and hard about that as he has that wonderful turn of foot which is hard to show in heavy ground. He's got tactical speed and the mile-and-a-half at Del Mar could be a possibility. He would get a mile and a half there, no problem.”
“William thinks he'll stay a mile and a half, but I think why change things? It will be Sheikh Mohammed's decision if he stays in training, but he is a sportsman.”
Delecroix benefitted from a tactical Eclipse, but this time the fortunes played against him and Aidan O'Brien was quick to write it off. “It was a mess really,” he said. “When he sat in, they started going slower and slower and he was in a pocket and the rest was history. It happens every day of the week and it'll happen again. We think he likes high-tempo races and hopefully this won't happen at Leopardstown. He doesn't mind making the running, so he'd be happy to do that.”
Ombudsman strikes in a remarkable £1.3m Juddmonte International! @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/7Sr7ELnnQs
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 20, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Ombudsman is the second foal out of Dansili's 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 Three winners Convey (Dansili) and Stronghold by Dansili's sire Danehill.
The fourth dam is All At Sea (Riverman), who captured the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and was placed in the Oaks and in this. From the family of the four-times Group One-winning Twice Over (Observatory), who also took this race, Syndicate's two-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.
“I did think at the 2f marker 'this is going to happen again!'”
Winning trainer John Gosden admits to mid-race jitters with Sussex Stakes memories prominent in his mind, but all ended well with Ombudsman in the £1.3m Juddmonte International @LydiaHislop pic.twitter.com/lSPboYCYHJ
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 20, 2025
Wednesday, York, Britain
JUDDMONTE INTERNATIONAL STAKES-G1, £1,319,375, York, 8-20, 3yo/up, 10f 56yT, 2:07.90, g/f.
1–OMBUDSMAN (IRE), 134, 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
(340,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-James Hanly (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-William Buick. £748,218. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 8-6-2-0, $2,216,396. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Delacroix (Ire), 127, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Tepin, by Bernstein. TDN Rising Star. O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Tepin Syndicate; T-Aidan O'Brien. £283,666.
3–Birr Castle (Fr), 134, g, 5, Cloth Of Stars (Ire)–Baki (Fr), by Turtle Bowl (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€170,000 Ylg '21 ARQDOY). O-Godolphin; B-Francois Rohaut; T-Andre Fabre. £141,965.
Margins: 3HF, HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.75, 2.25, 150.00.
Also Ran: See The Fire (GB), Danon Decile (Jpn), Daryz (Fr).
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