‘Thrill of a Lifetime’: Hanly Savours Moment as Ombudsman Storms the Knavesmire

[Wandering Eyes]

YORK, UK — What a day, or perhaps that should be, oh, what a Night. Fresh from providing the €3m top lot at Arqana on Monday, Night Of Thunder was by Wednesday ruling the Knavesmire, courtesy of his sons Ombudsman and Gewan.

In Ombudsman, Godolphin and the Gosdens have the classic late improver, who set about his racing in the middle of last season and burst onto the Group 1 scene in impressive fashion at Royal Ascot. The narrowest of defeats in the Eclipse next time out did little to dent his allure and now the four-year-old colt has added to his résumé the Juddmonte International, the race which last year was judged to be the best in the world. 

Spend enough time at the sales and you might be fooled into believing that it's all about the money. Perhaps it is for some and, sure, it's what keeps the breeding world going round, but when a breeder, however commercial his mind may be, has just witnessed a horse he foaled and reared putting his name into serious contention for Horse of the Year honours, there is no doubting that this here, on the racecourse, is the only thing that matters.

James Hanly was absent from Royal Ascot, briefly ducking out of father-of-the-bride duties at his daughter's Greek wedding to answer the phone to that pesky Brian Sheerin, looking for a quote or two on Ombudsman's Prince of Wales's Stakes victory. But the breeder made sure he was at the Knavesmire for the rematch with Delacroix, and there was no doubting the emotion in his voice when it came to trying to put words to what he had just witnessed. 

The drama of Ombudsman's runaway pacemaker Birr Castle was almost all too much for Hanly, as he saw the other Godolphin colt turn into the straight a country mile clear of the chasing pack. 

“Jesus, I thought we were beaten, and a pal of mine said, 'Well, these things happen.' I was walking away and they told me to come back,” he said. 

“That was the thrill of a lifetime. I just…I'm speechless.”

Gathering his composure alongside Anthony Stroud, who bought Ombudsman for Godolphin, Hanly added, “But they [John and Thady Gosden] have just done such a good job in bringing him on slowly. They give them time. That's everything.”

Stroud and Hanly go way back, and they often breed horses together in partnership with Trevor Stewart. Indeed, the trio could be represented in Thursday's Yorkshire Oaks by yet another Night Of Thunder improver, the four-year-old filly Estrange. Her appearance, however, will depend on a late decision over whether there is enough give in the ground.

On the more precocious side is Gewan, the grey son of Night Of Thunder who is now two-for-two after winning the G3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes in pleasingly determined fashion for Andrew Balding and Al Rabban Racing. 

The colt was bred by Overbury Stallions and Dukes Stud from the Lethal Force mare Grey Mystere, a juvenile winner herself in France. Gewan was bought at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale – the same sale from which Ombudsman had graduated two years earlier – for 100,000gns by Mick Murphy and Sarah O'Connell of Longways Stables.

 

 

Acomb Stakes winner Gewan | Emma Berry

 

Overbury Stud's Simon Sweeting, who owns a number of mares in partnership with Charlie Wyatt of Dukes Stud, said, “We bought Grey Mystere in France and she was in foal to Too Darn Hot. Then we sent her to Night Of Thunder and we got what we thought was a lovely colt but his x-rays weren't great, which is why he didn't make a tremendous amount of money last year. He went to the breeze-ups and then Andrew [Balding] bought him privately through Billy Jackson-Stops. But we always thought he was a lovely horse and we are delighted with what he has done this year.”

Sweeting added, “The mare then had a Ghaiyyath colt last year which died over in Ireland, and she then had a late covering to Native Trail, so had a late foal by him, and she is empty this year. Typical story for a breeder – up and down – but we will be able to find a nice early covering for her next year.”

For good measure, Night Of Thunder also had the third home in the Acomb, the €1.9m Arqana breezer Distant Storm, who had won on debut at Newmarket last month. 

These results follow a successful Saturday for the Darley stallion, when the Aga Khan Studs' Zahraan won the G3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh and More Thunder took the G2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury. Last Friday, the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid homebred Bow Echo earned a TDN Rising Star with an eye-catching debut victory at Newbury.

Night Of Thunder is also the sire of this year's 1,000 Guineas winner Desert Flower, while in America he is responsible for the Grade 1-winning distaffers Choisya and Dynamic Pricing. 

 

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