Ombudsman sets up Daryz showdown with Brigadier Gerard win Ombudsman did all that was required of him before Royal Ascot with a narrow triumph over Gethin in the Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. John and Thady Gosden’s superstar was beaten under a penalty by Almaqam in this race 12 months ago and deep inside the final furlong it looked like history might repeat itself, with this time Gethin the one benefiting from a weight concession. But the William Buick-ridden Ombudsman (2-5 favourite) managed to keep him at bay by a neck, setting himself up for a blockbuster showdown with Arc hero Daryz in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes next month. John Gosden said of his five-year-old, who had debuted this year in the Dubai Turf on World Cup night in March: “He needed the race last year and honestly he hasn’t seen grass since Meydan, he’s trained entirely on all-weather, that’s how much we’ve had a drought and no rain at all. “He’s gone through his girths there and is a bit of a pro now who just does what he has to. “I thought it was a good performance giving 7lb and I thought the second ran a grand race. I’m very happy and that’s exactly what I expected. “I’m delighted and he was coming here at 85 per cent. It was a trial for Royal Ascot and that puts him spot on, so I couldn’t be more pleased with him. He’s a very cool customer these days and isn’t too flashy and they get old and wise like boxers. “I have certainly found the more they race the smarter they are about the way they race and don’t waste a lot of energy.” Ombudsman was left unchanged at 5-2 by both Coral and Paddy Power to defend his Prince of Wales’s Stakes crown, with Gosden excited to square off against Francis-Henri Graffard’s French raider. Gosden also ruled out a step up in trip, and added: “I think it will be an exciting race with Daryz coming over and he looks a phenomenal horse and it will be a proper Prince of Wales’s Stakes. “I think Ombudsman is a bigger, stronger horse than he was 12 months ago and I’m delighted with how he has matured. He was second in this race last year then got on a roll. “I think the pace of the race is important to him and I don’t see any reason why he won’t continue to run well throughout the year. “I don’t think a mile and half is in my circumference and I’m not mad to go up in trip with him. There are so many lovely races at a mile and a quarter which is a beautiful distance I think. “I like Arcs and King Georges, but I’m not going to suddenly throw him in those sort of races and for me this is what racing is all about, proper older horses meeting over a mile and a quarter and to me that is blue riband stuff.” Unlike Ombudsman, there will be no Royal Ascot for the Owen Burrows-trained runner-up Gethin, who having produced a career best in his first start in the colours of Wathnan Racing is poised to return to Sandown for the Eclipse in early July. Burrows said: “He’s run a massive race and has taken his form to a massive high. We’re gutted to get beat and I know he was receiving 7lb and Ombudsman might not have been 100 per cent, but not that many get that close to him. “We’re thrilled with him and there was a moment you are hoping Ombudsman might have been a gallop short, but then we haven’t run for seven weeks either and the experience of running in a race like this, I’m sure he will take a step forward. “His comeback wasn’t the greatest race in the world at Kempton, but he was impressive and that’s taken his form to another level. “We’re not going to think about Ascot and let’s sit and watch that race and we might be back here for the Eclipse. I wouldn’t be afraid to come back for that. “I’m adamant he will get further in time, but I’m happy to stick to 10 furlongs now. We don’t need to rush up in trip just yet.”
