'He's got stacks of quality' - Ombudsman powers home to land prize after 150-1 pacemaker threatens another Group 1 upset

Three times in the past ten years it has been rated the best race in the world. This time it might just win the prize for the most bizarre.

The great and the good of British racing were assembled for a contest that really put the international into the Juddmonte International.

A thronged paddock was laden with anticipation as stars from Ireland, France and Japan paraded before the big showdown.

Yet a relatively unheralded Scot nearly stole the show. Step forward Robert 'Rab' Havlin, a stalwart who has given 20 years service to the Gosden stable in Newmarket, his time longer on grit than glamour and glory.

His job was to set an even pace on Birr Castle, an Andre Fabre-trained five-year-old lent for the occasion to ensure a decent gallop for Godolphin's crack colt Ombudsman.

As he invariably does, Havlin did the job perfectly. The only trouble was Keita Tosaki was at pains to settle Japanese challenger Danon Decile, who was keen early, and kept pulling him back.

That meant Birr Castle built up a huge lead. He was so far clear turning for home he might almost have been a back marker in the previous race. The 150-1 shot still held a healthy advantage approaching the final quarter-mile and a repeat of Qirat's shock Sussex Stakes win looked distinctly on the cards.

• 'I thought we'd won about a furlong out!' - Robert Havlin on his remarkable front-running ride on Juddmonte third Birr Castle 

But William Buick had been alive to the danger for a while and conjured an astonishing burst of speed from Ombudsman that not only took him to the front inside the final furlong but carried him three and a half lengths clear at the line, where his Eclipse Stakes conqueror Delacroix just pipped Birr Castle for second.

A relieved John Gosden said afterwards: "Andre very kindly lent us the horse. He was in great form in Deauville at the weekend and said, 'I'd like the same result as happened at Goodwood'. With two to run I thought Andre's request was coming true!

William Buick: "He's a very, very special horse"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

"It was quite extraordinary. The horse has run a huge race to be third. I did say to William if he'd sat four lengths off the pace he might have won by ten lengths!

"The thinking was to go an even pace but the Japanese jockey kept taking back so the whole field took back and let Rab slip the field."

Reflecting on how the race panned out, he added: "If you divorce yourself from the pacemaker, he only has to be a half-decent horse. You can't give them that ground, it was more than ever happened in the Sussex Stakes.

"Rab never hit the horse but past the two-marker he still had six lengths on them. When William let Ombudsman go, he absolutely flew. He said he went from second gear to fifth gear just like that."

Buick himself was delighted Ombudsman was able to get the job done and said: "We had a plan and to be honest Rab got the fractions spot on. Birr Castle is a proper stakes horse, if you give a horse a lead like that around a flat track like York it's always a danger.

"I was thinking, 'This is a bit dangerous'. I had to cut the deficit myself and then he went again, which is a hard thing to do. He had to chase the race himself and to have that finish still at the very end was amazing. He's got stacks of quality."

William Buick: "He had to chase the race himself and to have that finish still at the very end was amazing"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Ombudsman was gaining his second Group 1 success, after the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, and has now earned nearly £1.65 million in prize-money.

"The Eclipse was a muddling affair but full marks to Delacroix, he got up on the line and won," Gosden reflected.

"Ombudsman is a very good horse. He's proved he's a class horse – he blew them away in the end. The obvious races are the Irish Champion and the English Champion. He's in the Arc as well but he'd need one of those very occasional fast-ground Arcs. We'll see.

"I have to call Andre now and tell him he frightened the living daylights out of us!"

How the race was won

Birr Castle leads the field in the early stages of the Juddmonte InternationalCredit: Racing TV

Birr Castle begins to pull further clear under Robert HavlinCredit: Racing TV

Birr Castle goes 20 lengths clear under HavlinCredit: Racing TV

The chasing pack begin to get to work as Birr Castle retains a commanding leadCredit: Racing TV

Heading into the final two furlongs Birr Castle begins to tire and Ombudsman starts to rattle homeCredit: Racing TV

Ombudsman passes his pacemaker in the closing stagesCredit: Racing TV

Ombudsman scores by three and a half lengths with Delacroix passing long-time leader Birr Castle for secondCredit: Racing TV

RPR review: Ombudsman wins but below his best

By Paul Curtis, senior handicapper

Ombudsman confirmed his position at the head of the middle-distance rankings with this decisive defeat of Delacroix, but in another big race affected by a pacemaker neither colt was able to run up to their best figures.

With Birr Castle outrunning his 150-1 odds in hanging on for third, a Racing Post Rating of 126+ for Ombudsman rates below standard for a Juddmonte International winner, although we know from his impressive Royal Ascot win he is anything but that.

Similarly, Delacroix is also rated below form with the Eclipse winner only able to beat Birr Castle by half a length, returning an RPR 7lb shy of the 126 of his Sandown defeat of Ombudsman. While Ombudsman had excuses in the Eclipse given the muddling pace and relatively quick turnaround from Royal Ascot, it's unlikely that Delcroix was seen to best effect either in another unconventional race.

Ombudsman wins the Juddmonte InternationalCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Birr Castle is key to the form, the pacemaker running to a career best RPR of 118. This reflects a more rose-tinted view of some of his best form, such as last year's close-up sixth in the Prix Ganay, but it's still a stretch off the back of a disappointing effort when he was odds-on for a conditions race last month.

But for Birr Castle we could be talking something around the 133-134 mark for Ombudsman, a level that is certainly not out of the question given the way he has won his two Group 1s this year. But a more realistic assessment of the International is that Ombudsman has given See The Fire a similar beating to Ascot, with both a little below those levels given the proximity of Birr Castle.

Read these next:

'I thought we'd won about a furlong out!' - Robert Havlin on his remarkable front-running ride on Juddmonte third Birr Castle 

Dante winner Pride Of Arras roars back to form on his York return as Lambourn fades 

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