Royal Ascot 2026 results: Ombudsman claims back-to-back Stakes wins for Prince of Wales

Ombudsman won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes for the second consecutive year after producing an “electric” display in the second day’s feature race at Royal Ascot.

Devil’s Advocate and Mississippi River set the pace in the 10-furlong Group One race, before William Buick urged the ombudsman to contend in the halfway straight.

Prix ​​de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Dariz And Aidan O’Brien’s mini hawk got into the mix as the pacemakers crashed.

The 11-10 favourite, who is jointly trained by John Gosden and his son Thaddy, then managed to win by four lengths from multiple Group One-winning filly Minnie Hawk.

The five-year-old Godolphin colt was the first to mount Back-to-back in this event 1995 from Gosden-trained Muhtarram. It was the 40th Ascot win for Buick and the 72nd for Gosden.

“Ascot is huge now,” says John Gosden. “It’s huge in our season and the Prince of Wales Stakes is one of the jewels. To win this race is the real deal and to beat the best on this stage is great.”

He added: “About a furlong to go, I thought ‘they (pacemakers) have to go’ but this horse’s got a turn of foot, great acceleration for a quarter-mile horse and he’s just shown that class.

“To come off the field like that was quite something. I thought it was one of the best performances of his career.”

The Juddmont International at York in August is a “prime target” for the ombudsman, whose performance jockey Buick described as “very rare”.

“What he did there was mind-blowing,” he added. “His turn of foot is a miler but he stayed 10 furlongs, it was an amazing performance.

“He’s a closer. I’ve ridden some amazing horses but this horse has an electric turn in his legs and he’ll definitely be there.”