Will Ombudsman Rule At Ascot?

[Wandering Eyes]

After a summer of toing and froing and ding-dong battles, Ascot's feature G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes brings it all to a satisfyingly gladiatorial climax on Saturday. Having revelled in Ombudsman's dramatic surge at the end of the Prince of Wales's, Delacroix's huge move coming off Leopardstown's bend in the Irish Champion and the relentless power of Calandagan at the close of the King George, it all comes together in a perfect blend on a perfect sunlit autumn afternoon for the latest QIPCO Champions Day. The headline race is a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in November.

These actors didn't come around by accident, with messrs Gosden, O'Brien and Graffard responsible for crafting their careers almost with this moment in mind. There is also a subplot to the 2025 running which threatens to become the main act, with William Haggas having completed his long, slow, careful building process to get the long-absent Economics back into the fray.

Ombudsman, who like Economics is a son of this year's sire sensation Night Of Thunder, is a potent force given a strong pace and with Devil's Advocate in here he should get that. Undone by Delacroix when the tempo was only modest in the Eclipse, he was stunning in the Juddmonte International despite the well-documented tactical mess of that race. Overall, he is the champion elect until proven otherwise and could be sealing a momentous day for Clarehaven if all goes to plan for the father-and-son combination.

Delacroix, who brings together that heady mix of Dubawi and Tepin, has excelled this term with his Sandown smash-and-grab supplemented by his domination of the feature of Irish Champions Weekend. The ten pounds weight-for-age allowance he got from the Godolphin colt in the Eclipse is now only four and while his York run was compromised to a degree by the pace scenario it is notable that he was nowhere near as dynamic as Ombudsman throughout the final three furlongs.

Calandagan was denied by Anmaat 12 months ago on ground that would have undermined his chance, but up against two true 10-furlong specialists he is up against it on officially good going. It also has to be said that his Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and King George wins have taken some knocks of late and he will need a career-best here.

Ed Walker has always made it clear that Almaqam (Lope De Vega) is the apple of his eye and while he got the better of a penalised Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard in May he would have needed it softer than this to cause the upset. That also applies to Kirsten Rausing's unexposed three-year-old Almeric (Study Of Man), whose two Listed wins five months apart suggest we are talking about next year's horse rather than a now horse.

Regarding the latter, Oisin Murphy gave some notable insight. “It would be lovely to go step-by-step, but there weren't many options for Almeric,” he said. “He's the most beautiful athlete and physical that you'll ever see. If anyone wants to see a racehorse, have a look at him.”

Going For Gold

Since it was shuffled onto this card and made a straight mile contest in 2011, the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes has become the mother of all understudies and this year's renewal promises to steal some thunder from the main event. Juddmonte's Field Of Gold (Kingman) was supreme around the turns in the St James's Palace before the wheels came off in the Sussex, but there is nothing to suggest he won't come back as effective as before.

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's enigmatic Rosallion (Blue Point) has met with defeat more times than connections would have dared to dread this season, but perhaps it is merely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time on each occasion. Drawn on the wing here, he will have to be played with exacting precision by Sean Levey but he has at least shown a love for this track having won impressively at two and in last year's St James's Palace.

Perhaps Rosallion's most mystifying reversal so far this term was his fourth behind Never So Brave (No Nay Never) in the City of York and it would be a mistake to rule the Andrew Balding-trained improver out of the equation here. He seems to conjure what is required each time despite being set stiffer tasks and Oisin Murphy is quietly confident. “He feels great,” he said. “He has a bit to find, but is probably my best ride on the day.” Wathnan's multiple Group 1 winner Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) probably could have done with softer ground to take the potency out of Field Of Gold and Rosallion, but is a dangerous proposition as a filly blooming at this time of year.

Can Kalpana?

Like Rosallion, Kalpana (Study Of Man) has developed a serious case of seconditis this season but is back in her comfort zone preparing to defend her crown in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes. Her King George near-miss confirmed her liking for this course and distance and it might just be a case of what the Arc took out of her 13 days ago.

Cheveley Park's burgeoning homebred Estrange (Night Of Thunder) dodged that test, which may have been a stroke of luck if she can take advantage of a weakened Kalpana here. Her Yorkshire Oaks form with Minnie Hauk looks even better at this juncture and the ground will be a touch more forgiving this time.

Other intriguing candidates are Ballydoyle's Bedtime Story (Frankel), who seems quite far removed from the spellbinding juvenile who tore up this track in the Chesham last June, and Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Lillie Langtry winner Waardah (Postponed). The latter has the kind of freshness that can be a serious weapon at this time of year and is from the Owen Burrows academy of perfectly-honed improvers.

Wathnan's Big Opportunity

After a stellar Royal Ascot, a big-race win on Champions Day would be the icing on the cake for Wathnan Racing and with three leading contenders it looks most likely to come in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes. Lazzat (Territories) won the sprint of the year at the Royal meeting, but has gone under twice subsequently with no obvious excuses so this is very much his moment of truth.

Jerome Reynier still believes. “We were disappointed to be beaten in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, but Sajir on the day was really good and in the Haydock Sprint Cup Lazzat was drawn in the middle and there was a bias towards the stands' rail,” he said. “He was not beaten far but was always under pressure, which is not the way he is usually.”

“This time, he is spot-on and back on a racecourse he has done so well at,” he added. “He seems very happy to be back at home because, between the Maurice de Gheest and Haydock, he was based in Deauville, which is not the training environment he is used to. Now he needs to show the world that he is the best European sprinter.”

Also in the colours is last year's winner Kind Of Blue (Blue Point), another who excited at the beginning of 2025 only to miss the target time and again. Second at Haydock last time, he could be on the way back and it is worth noting that James Fanshawe did get his relative The Tin Man back from a more serious issue a few years ago. Sporting the operation's black cap is Flora Of Bermuda (Dark Angel), but she is some third string having been beaten around half a length when third in this 12 months ago.

Where the July Cup heroine No Half Measures (Cable Bay) fits in is anybody's guess, with her Newmarket victory still as surprising now as it seemed at the time. Big Mojo (Mohaather) is drawn on the outside, but there isn't a more willing campaigner in this division and his presence makes it more of a contest than it would otherwise be, while The Aga Khan Studs runner Rayevka (Blue Point) is still unexposed and gives the impression one of these is well within her grasp.

Off To A Flyer With Trawlerman?

While the Gosdens are well-stocked all afternoon, they will be hoping that it is only a case of going through the motions for their star stayer Trawlerman (Golden Horn) in the opening G1 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. Armed also with Sweet William (Sea The Stars), Clarehaven take to the high seas hoping for plain sailing with the only looming threat on the horizon being Ballydoyle's St Leger third Stay True (Galileo). The latter is one of the last of the Galileos to grace this meeting and who is to say that the late Coolmore deity doesn't yet have one or two more big days to come.

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