Ombudsman displayed a devastating change of gear to run out a brilliant winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Successful on each of his first four starts last season, including a Group 3 win in France, John and Thady Gosden’s colt met with defeat for the first time when second to Almaqam on his return to action in last month’s Brigadier Gerard at Sandown.

The Godolphin-owned four-year-old faced a further hike in class for this Group 1 feature, but after being settled well off the strong early pace by William Buick, he engaged overdrive once in the clear halfway up the straight and readily picked off the gallant Anmaat to win by two lengths going away.

See The Fire was third, another two and a half lengths behind the 7/1 winner, but Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles, the 13/8 favourite, faded into fifth place.

Gosden senior said: “The plan was to just relax off the pace, which was strong, set up for Los Angeles, who is a real dour, long-striding staying horse, but to that extent we knew we’d be comfortable where we were. We had the French horse and James Doyle drawn outside us. It was just the question of when you get in the straight, would you get the luck? He wasn’t in a position where he could swing round the field; it was more a case of waiting for the gap. And he was very patient, but I knew when he got a gap at the furlong pole that this horse has an extraordinary turn of foot. So he was patient and he was rewarded, but there’s nothing like when you get those fractions (can’t hear next bit).

“I think it is all down the owner, because when we bought him with Anthony Stroud, I said, ‘look, he’s an immature horse, give me a chance with him’, and he said, ‘take as long as you like’. He didn’t race in his two-year-old year, but as a three-year-old we brought him out and he won his maiden very well at Leicester, and then he won a listed race at Deauville, then he went to Group 3, and then we put him away. Now he’s fully grown and developed - a proper four-year-old - and because Sheikh Mohammed has been very patient with him, he is getting rewarded. When you are a trainer, it’s very nice to train for people who aren’t putting the pressure on.

“He’s a mile and a quarter horse. William said he’s got a lot of speed - I said, ‘don’t tell me I’ve got to bring him back to six furlongs!’ But he’s got a wonderful turn of foot, and I think play to that strength and as far as I’m concerned, he’s done nothing but grow in stature. Gary rides him at home all the time and has done a lovely job with him, and he said he’s absolutely spot-on. He’s riding him every day - he knows. When the horse was being saddled he was playing, looking forward to it and I think we had him spot-on. He is a horse who, because he hasn’t overraced this year, you could be looking at the Eclipse with.

“Running him against Field Of Gold wouldn’t be my choice!”

William Buik reported: "This place tames lions. It's so special to win here because it's so tough, everyone comes here in great form and everyone is doing their very best of course. He was stepping up in grade today, I rode him at home and he was real well. He'd have been a very unlucky loser wouldn't he? I was looking for room and had to switch him a couple of times and he's won with a bit in hand. I was very impressed with what he did there and he picked up instantly from me having to switch his course. I think for the moment he is a fast mile and a quarter horse, that was a strong run mile and a quarter, they went hard, he's got a great turn of foot, I'm sure stepping him up to a mile and a half will be spoken about but I wouldn't have thought that discussion would need to be had just yet. If that [running against Field Of Gold in the Juddmonte] has to happen it's a nice problem to have."