By Peter Moore at Ascot Saturday 17th October 2026
Pictures Credit: Malcolm Wells
In front of a crowd of 32,140, not far off the highest ever recorded for Champions Day, everybody was treated to a spectacular day of racing , which lived up to the hype that went before it.
A day that started with Group 1 success for Godolphin in Australia ended in the same fashion , as Ombudsman put the seal of approval on a remarkable Saturday for Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation with a world-class performance in the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday
Beaten by two and a quarter lengths by Calandagan in last season’s Champion Stakes, Ombudsman turned the tables in emphatic fashion, sprinting away from the six-time Group 1 winner to register a three-and-three-quarter-length verdict that left joint-trainer John Gosden hailing the winner as the best mile and a quarter horse he has ever trained.
“It was a special performance from a special horse,” said Gosden, who trains the winner in partnership with his son Thady. “He was back to what he did in the summer. It didn’t work out at York. He spun his wheels and William Buick said he didn’t seem to get hold of the track, but he got hold of the track all right today. That was wonderful.”
“He’s definitely the best mile and a quarter horse [I’ve trained],” said the trainer, “but I don’t know if he’s the best. We got a little too far back in this race last year, so we thought we’re not going to do that again. This time the race went perfectly, William rode him just how he wanted to and he’s a top, top-class horse when we get it right.”
Asked about the future of the horse, Gosden suggested there would be two options. “Either he’ll go to stud or I will discuss it with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and see if he would like to consider putting him in the Breeders’ Cup Turf; that’s the only other option now.
“Golden Horn didn’t enjoy it [Keeneland] because it was like a sandpit when he ran and it rained three inches, but this horse, he’d handle it well. He’s quick, he’s agile and he could have sat on the lead if he’d wanted to today. He’s the right type of horse and I think the track would suit him so it’s a possibility, but we don’t have to make a rapid decision.”
Ombudsman was the middle part of a remarkable treble for Godolphin after William Buick had steered Talk Of New York to victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Fifth Column in the Balmoral.
The race to be crowned champion trainer between Andrew Balding and Aidan O’Brien looks to be going to the wire after both bagged a winner on Champions Day.
Balding drew first blood from an unlikely source after Mount Atlas took the Long Distance Cup at 33-1.
O’Brien quickly responded after Minnie Hauk landed the Fillies and Mares Stakes to give the Irish man a lead of 83,000 pounds.
Almeraq established himself as Europe’s best sprinter and in so doing giving trainer William Haggas a first winner of the British Champion Sprint Stakes after the colt got up on the line to deny Paborus by a neck.
The four-year-old had to dig deep as the Ed Bethell-trained Paborus proved a tough nut to crack. After taking cover behind Coppull early in the race, jockey Tom Marquand found a gap and Almeraq found the gears to close the gap and claim his third group one.
Night In Vegas has been one of the most consistent two-year-old in training The Eve JohnsonHoughton trained colt has only ever been out of the frame just once. After Saturday, he made it five wins in seven runs after a strong late run under Charlie Bishop was enough to get the better of Arapaho Gold in a phot by a nose for the successful Kennet Valley Syndicate.
Before racing, Billy Loughnane was crowned Champion Jockey for the first time, and in so doing became the youngest jockey to achieve this feat, equalling the performance of Charlie Elliott, 102 years ago in 1924.