Ombudsman to miss Irish Champion clash with Delacroix as John Gosden outlines autumn plans

A much-anticipated third showdown between Ombudsman and Delacroix in next week's Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes is off after connections of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International winner have decided to freshen him up for a busy autumn campaign.

Following Delacroix’s defeat of the John and Thady Gosden-trained four-year-old in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, Ombudsman settled the score when stretching three and a half lengths clear of that rival at York last month. 

Speaking from Ballydoyle at a press morning on Monday ahead of the Irish Champions Festival, Aidan O'Brien implored the Gosden team to bring Ombudsman over to Ireland and promised a relentless pace to ensure we find out who is the best of the high-class colts.

The Gosden stable has won the Irish Champion Stakes four times, most recently with Roaring Lion in 2018, but there will be no Clarehaven runner this time. The training duo are to prepare Godolphin's Night Of Thunder colt for an international autumn campaign beginning in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 18 and then taking in the Breeders' Cup and Japan Cup.

John Gosden: "It would not be in the best interests of Ombudsman to race in September"Credit: Edward Whitaker

John Gosden said: “Ombudsman has been in full training since February and has raced in May, June, July and August. In June, at Royal Ascot, he showed extraordinary acceleration to win easily off a very fast pace. At York, in the Juddmonte International, the pacemaker was completely ignored and a steady pace was set by the Japanese jockey.

"Once again, Ombudsman displayed a phenomenal turn of foot in the last furlong to win by three and half lengths. He will now be freshened up for an autumn campaign targeting the Champion Stakes at Ascot, the Breeders’ Cup and the Japan Cup."

On the Irish Champion Stakes, for which Ombudsman was 6-4 favourite, he added: “The Irish Champion Stakes is a race that our stable has won four times. Obviously, it would not be in the best interests of Ombudsman to race in September nor would the horse appreciate running against multiple entries from one stable on a track with a short straight.”

Calandagan could lie in wait for Ombudsman in the Champion Stakes and Japan CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ombudsman appears to have taken his racing extremely well through the spring and summer, with his defeat of Delacroix at York rated 128 by the BHA handicappers, a figure which – should it be ratified internationally – would take him 1lb clear of stablemate Field Of Gold and Japanese dirt star Forever Young at the top of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings.

The toughness which accompanies his class will be needed should Ombudsman take in all three autumn targets, with two weeks from the Champion Stakes to the Breeders' Cup, before a 29-day gap to the Japan Cup. 

Whether or not his path and that of Delacroix will cross again remains to be seen, although he could become well acquainted with another of Europe's top middle-distance stars in Calandagan, who may take in both Ascot and Tokyo before the end of the year.

Ombudsman earned his berth in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf thanks to his 'win-and-you're-in' success in the Juddmonte International, while both Ascot and York are among the global series of Group 1 events which carry lucrative bonuses for the Japan Cup.

Should Ombudsman become the first foreign-trained winner of the race since 2005, he would earn an extra £2.23m on top of the £2.6m first prize, while even tenth place is worth more than £200,000 in prize-money and bonuses, only around £15,000 less than second place in the Irish Champion.

Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, 5.30 Leopardstown, September 13
Paddy Power: 4-5 Delacroix, 4 Shin Emperor, 11-2 Zahrann, 7 Anmaat, 10 White Birch, 12 Whirl, 16 Diego Velazquez, Los Angeles, Minnie Hauk, Royal Champion, See The Fire, 20 bar.

Read more . . .

'Hopefully John will come with Ombudsman' - O'Brien keen on rematch for Delacroix in Irish Champion Stakes 

Aidan O'Brien on plans for his juvenile stars, Delacroix and the Breeders' Cup and his handicap dark horse for the autumn 

Christophe Soumillon gives up Lazy Griff ride in St Leger following Ballydoyle call up 

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