Ombudsman turned a deep Prince of Wales's Stakes into a procession on Wednesday at Royal Ascot, pulling four lengths clear to become only the second horse since 2000 to win the Group 1 race twice. The result gave the race a sudden edge of history as well as class.
That is why Ascot results were being searched so heavily on Wednesday evening: this was not just a good win, but a repeat win in the meeting's showcase middle-distance race. No horse had managed that since the race was lifted to Group 1 status in 2000, and Ombudsman did it against a field that included Group 1 winners in second, third and fourth.
The manner of it mattered as much as the margin. Pacemakers ensured there was no hiding place, yet Ombudsman settled the matter anyway, and the early indications were that the timefigure would back up the scale of the performance. Simon Baker called it a top-class performance, and said it looked good enough to support the view that Ombudsman could sit among the top Flat horses in Europe.
That leaves a simple conclusion for the rest of the season: this was not a narrow royal meeting win that needs soft interpretation. It was a statement from a horse that has now owned the Prince of Wales's Stakes twice, and the numbers attached to it suggest he may have done it in a faster way than many recent winners. The next race is not confirmed, but any future target will now be measured against this figure rather than the label of a Royal Ascot winner alone.
There was also a significant day elsewhere for Aidan O'Brien, who reached 99 Royal Ascot wins with Victorious in the Queen Mary. Victorious took the 5f race and was expected to be even better back at 6f and perhaps beyond, which adds another layer to a trainer already established as the meeting's most successful of all time. On a card built on star power, the biggest statement still came from Ombudsman.
