'It was always the plan' - Gosdens' Eclipse project enters phase two with overnight sensation Ombudsman

Who has risen to fame faster than Ombudsman? Maybe Justin Bieber, discovered at the age of 13 thanks to one of his YouTube videos being improbably seen by someone influential. But that could be the end of the list.

Three weeks ago, he was a low-profile four-year-old adding a bit of depth to the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. He had only had three starts in Britain and it was almost a year since he'd won anything in his home country, a novice contest at Leicester. 

You could say he became something of a wise-guy pick that week and the Post quoted the much-respected Steve Mellish as saying: "I think he can prove himself." But, realistically, most of us were focused on the rematch between Los Angeles and Anmaat, with some love being given to the supplemented See The Fire and the French raider Map Of Stars.