LAST weekend representatives of Coolmore and Godolphin battled in the Deauville sales ring for regally-bred yearlings, both operations spending record sums for what they hope will be the next generation of champions.
On Wednesday the two racing superpowers clash again, this time at York Racecourse. It's the first day of the Ebor meeting and the day's feature race, the Juddmonte International, is one of the most keenly-awaited contests of the entire flat season.
Last year's winner Ombudsman is a strong favourite and returns to York as officially the joint top-rated racehorse in the world. Taking him on is the three-year-old Constitution River, an impressive winner of the Prix du Jockey Club and Eclipse Stakes on his most recent two starts.
On ratings, Constitution River has 7lb to find with Ombudsman but the pair are close in the betting, suggesting confidence in the Coomore camp that the younger horse has the potential to push the defending champion very close.
John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman etched his name alongside equine greats like Giant’s Causeway (2000), Sea The Stars (2009) and Frankel (2012) with a scintillating display on the Knavesmire 12 months ago.
He looked better than ever when successfully defending his Prince of Wales’s Stakes title at Royal Ascot, but now the five-year-old must concede 7lb to Ballydoyle’s next big thing, a colt who has lived up to Aidan O’Brien’s billing by blitzing his rivals in the Dee Stakes at Chester, overcoming adversity to win the French Derby and then rubber-stamping his prodigious talent in the Coral-Eclipse.
When asked what gives Constitution River the ‘X-factor’, O’Brien told Racing TV: “I suppose it’s his power and his scope, the way he stays and quickens – he was always a very unusual horse.
“He has a great mind and he’s developing really well every month, so every time he runs we’re really looking forward to it and we’re obviously looking forward to York again.
“John and Thady’s horse is there and that will be the acid test.”
O’Brien does at least have some idea of what it takes to get the better of Ombudsman, having done so with Delacroix in last year’s Eclipse before that form was reversed at York the following month.
“I suppose this is a different horse to Delacroix – he’s big, powerful and straightforward and strong,” O’Brien continued.
“Delacroix had a great quicken, this horse is relentless but can quicken as well. He doesn’t have to have things go his way, he’s very happy to do things himself or get a lead. He’s a very, very exciting horse.
“Our horse would be better with a frenetic pace, there’s no doubt, because there’s every chance that he would get a lot further than a mile and a quarter. The pace will be strong and even and I think that’s the way you can gauge a horse.
“Obviously Ombudsman is a very good horse, which is great, but we’re looking forward to the meeting really.”
Early start
Ombudsman made an early start to his campaign, winning the Dubai Turf at Meydan in late March, leading the Gosdens to sidestep an early clash with Constitution River in the Eclipse and instead keep their powder dry for his return to Yorkshire.
“His year started very early – he was training in late December, January, February in order to run in the Dubai Turf at the end of March. He had what you might call a winter-spring campaign,” said John Gosden.
“We backed off a little, came back, ran in the Brigadier Gerard as a prep into Ascot. Then the plan was always to back away again, give him time between races. They need to be let down, freshened a bit and come back.”
William Buick has steered Ombudsman to each of his four Group One wins to date and is relishing the opportunity to add to that tally.
“I sat on Ombudsman the other morning and he felt his usual self,” he told the Godolphin website.
“It is a competitive race, it always is, and one of the great races. You go into it with plenty of respect, but we have all seen what Ombudsman can do.”
Sponsor's horse
If there is a horse to upset the big two, the most likely candidate appears to be Andrew Balding’s Item, who has already shown his liking for the track by winning both the Dante and the York Stakes this season.
The Juddmonte-owned three-year-old did disappoint in a soft-ground Derby in between those two victories, but with conditions more in his favour this week jockey Colin Keane is hopeful he can at least make his presence felt.
“He shouldn’t be underestimated. Obviously he’s coming up against tough opposition, but I think he deserves to be there and I’m looking forward to getting back on him,” said Keane.
“It’s very easy to forgive his Derby run, I could tell early doors he wasn’t going to be effective on it to be honest but you’d love the way he bounced back the last day.
“To be riding a horse owned by Juddmonte in a race they sponsor with the three-year-olds taking on the best older horses, it is what it’s all about.”
Rain wanted
Almaqam broke his Group 1 duck in the Tattersalls Gold Cup before finishing fourth behind Ombudsman at Ascot. His trainer Ed Walker will be hoping some ease in the ground might help him close the gap.
There is an interesting challenger from France in Francis-Henri Graffard’s Zaydann, who has won his last five starts but faces a steep rise in class.
Nemone Routh, French racing manager and director for owners the Aga Khan Studs, said: “We thought it would end up being a fairly small field and thought why not have a go?
“He’s won his last five and the last three were stakes races. It was a slowly-run race last time, it developed into a sprint and he was still able to outsprint them in the end.
“He’s got a very good turn of foot and he’s a pretty straightforward ride, it’s just whether he’s of that level or not and we’ll find out.”
JUDDMONTE INTERNATIONAL STAKES
Latest betting: 5/4 Ombudsman, 13/8 Constitution River, 8 Item, 18 Hawk Mountain, 20 Almaqam, 28 Zaydann, 50 Pride Of Arras, 200 Action, 250 Devil's Advocate.