Ombudsman, Delacroix meet again in Juddmonte International

Godolphin’s Ombudsman will face five quality rivals as he bids for more top-level glory in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York on Wednesday, with the field vying for an automatic berth in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

 

There will be two additional Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races at York this week, Thursday’s Yorkshire Oaks (G1) provides a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), and Friday’s Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) awards an automatic starting position into the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

 

Ballydoyle’s four-time group-winning Delacroix once again will take on Ombudsman in the Juddmonte International. Delacroix, a 3-year-old son of Dubawi trained by Aidan O’Brien, came out on top last time in the Coral-Eclipse (G1) at Sandown in July with a late surge under Ryan Moore. But Godolphin is taking no chances and supplemented dual listed winner Birr Castle for about US$115,000 from the Andre Fabre stable as a pacemaker.

 

Ombudsman, by Night of Thunder, bolted up two lengths clear of the field in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, earning a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The race was run at a swift pace, and his trainers, John & Thady Gosden, hope to replicate that performance on Wednesday.

 

“The Eclipse was a muddling race and we didn’t want the prospect of a repeat, so Godolphin have kindly provided us with a nice horse to use as a pacemaker and he arrived on Thursday,” John Gosden said.

 

John Gosden won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2008 with Raven’s Pass, but the race has famously eluded Aidan O’Brien despite 18 attempts. But O’Brien holds the record as the winningest trainer of the Juddmonte International with seven triumphs, and he captured the race with City of Troy last year.

 

Meanwhile, Japanese contender Danon Decile, owned by Danox Co., who has accumulated about US$6.8 million in prize money during his racing career, has been declared with jockey Keita Tosaki on board. The international raider last was seen at Meydan in April when defeating eventual King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) winner Calandagan in the Sheema Classic (G1), despite his 14-1 odds. That victory earned him an automatic starting position into this year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.

 

Danon Decile is currently 4-1 in the betting behind Ombudsman, a 15-8 favorite.

 

Another international runner is the Aga Khan Studs SCEA’s unbeaten Daryz, trained by Francis Henri-Graffard in France. The 3-year-old colt is relatively inexperienced, having not run at 2, but is 4-for-4 this season. He was last seen winning the June 29 Prix Eugene Adam (G2) at Saint-Cloud with ease and will be partnered by Mickael Barzalona on Wednesday.

 

Jeff Smith’s See The Fire, the only filly in the field, has course and distance form at York. She put an astonishing 12 lengths between herself and the remainder of the field in the Middleton Fillies’ Stakes (G3) earlier this season, having won the Strensall Stakes (G3) at the same track last August. The 4-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars finished third to Whirl in the July 31 Nassau Stakes (G1) at Goodwood last time out and was four lengths behind Ombudsman in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

 

 

 

 

Godolphin’s Distant Storm, with jockey William Buick on board, leads the betting for the eight-horse field of the Acomb Stakes. Boasting an exceptional pedigree, the 2-year-old son of Night of Thunder won at Newmarket July 11 on debut, his only start to date, for trainer Charlie Appleby.

 

Aidan O’Brien trainee Italy, owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael D. Tabor, Westerberg, and Peter Brant, finished second in the Superlative Stakes (G2) when a short-priced favorite at Newmarket in July, having won his first start at Leopardstown in May.

 

The David Menuisier-trained Goodwood Galaxy finished fourth in the Vintage Stakes (G2) at Goodwood last month behind July Stakes (G2) winner Zavateri despite being hampered by a wide draw and a slow start. The Kodi Bear colt won on debut a month prior for the Goodwood Racehorse Owners Group.

 

The Al Rabban Racing-owned Gewan has won his lone race, a Novice Stakes at Newbury in July, and now steps up to the Group 3 level for trainer Andrew Balding and jockey PJ McDonald.

 

Yorkshire-based trainer Adrian Paul Keatley has declared Rochfortbridge, also a winner on debut for owners J Fyffe, S Fyffe & Partners, and Connor Beasley has been booked to partner the Tattersalls Book 2 graduate on Wednesday.

 

May Angel (GB), Oceans Four (GB), and Sovereign Ocean (IRE) complete the field.