Day 2 of Royal Ascot brings the Prince of Wales's Stakes — a £1m Group 1 over 1m1f212y and one of the most valuable races of the entire week. Today's NAP is Ombudsman, the defending champion of this exact race, trained by John and Thady Gosden and ridden by William Buick. At 5/4, the expert view calls him the obvious one to beat.
The Defending Champion
Ombudsman won the Prince of Wales's Stakes twelve months ago. Returning to defend a Group 1 title is itself a significant statement of confidence from connections — it means the yard believes the conditions, the trip, and the level all still suit a horse who has already proven himself the best in this exact race. He followed that win up with a Brigadier Gerard Stakes success last time out, meaning his recent campaign reads as two wins from two starts in his last two runs, both at a similarly elite level.
The Going and the Trip — Already Confirmed
The expert view is direct about why this matters: he is the obvious one to beat on a going that suits. Today's ground is good to firm — the same conditions that have produced his best form. There is no surface question, no trip query, and no first-time variable to assess. Everything about today's race replicates the exact circumstances of his biggest career success.
The Honest Caveat — A Neck Margin Last Time
The form book does not hide the one concern. The expert view notes that a neck margin last time hints he's not foot-perfect. Winning by a neck rather than comfortably suggests Ombudsman's most recent victory required more effort than the bare result might imply, or that there is a fitness or soundness question still being managed. This is worth taking seriously rather than dismissing — a horse who wins narrowly when his profile suggests he should win more comfortably is sending a signal.
Balanced against that is the 20-day turnaround since his last run, which the expert view describes as ideal. Twenty days is enough recovery time without losing peak fitness — a sensible gap between two top-level efforts that suggests the yard has managed him with exactly this kind of campaign in mind.
Gosden at 29% — The Yard Is Flying
John and Thady Gosden's Clarehaven operation is running at 29% over the last 14 days — 7 winners from 24 runners. That is an exceptional rate from one of the biggest yards in the country, and it arrives at exactly the moment Ombudsman needs it most. A yard performing at this level heading into the biggest race of a horse's season is the strongest possible context for a title defence.
William Buick — Not the Usual Booking
William Buick takes the ride today. This is worth noting specifically because Buick is not Gosden's most regular jockey of recent seasons — the booking signals a deliberate choice for this specific horse and this specific race rather than a default arrangement. Buick is among the most accomplished jockeys in the world, a multiple champion and a rider with an outstanding record in elite middle-distance Group 1 company. When a yard in red-hot form makes a specific jockey booking for their biggest target of the week, it reflects careful planning rather than convenience.
The Class and Rating
OR 128 in a Group 1 worth £567,100 in total prize money — among the highest figures of any selection this month. His form reads 2-1-2---1-1, a sequence of largely competitive and recently dominant results. Two wins in his last two starts, at the level this race demands, confirms he belongs at the very top of the division right now.
The Bottom Line
Defending Group 1 champion. Backed up the title with another big win last time, albeit by a narrow neck margin worth watching. Going and trip already proven at the highest level. Gosden at 29% over 14 days. William Buick booked for the biggest race of the week. OR 128. At 5/4, Ombudsman is today's NAP — back to win, with the neck-margin caveat the only reason for any hesitation in a field of this quality.
Yesterday's NAP of NAPs, Bow Echo in the St James's Palace Stakes, won at 10/11. For all five days of Royal Ascot, free selections are published at 11am every morning at horseracingoracleai.com.
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