Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes
Group 3, Chester 15:40
£140,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
1m 5f 84y, Class 1   
Thursday 7th May 2026

There is unfinished business where Lazy Griff is concerned, the sense of a three-year-old campaign that promised much and, in the end, delivered plenty without quite yielding the prize his consistency perhaps deserved. Now back in work with Charlie Johnston, he edges towards a return that could come, fittingly enough, at Chester’s May Festival in the Ormonde Stakes.

Last season told a familiar story. On more than one occasion Lazy Griff found only one too good, and that one happened to be Aidan O’Brien’s Lambourn. Second in both the Chester Vase and the Derby, and then third in the Irish Derby, he kept the best possible company, even if it meant playing a supporting role.

The St Leger had long been pencilled in as his principal target, a test that appeared likely to suit his strengths, but the plan unravelled at the final moment when a late setback intervened. It was, as these things often are, a matter of timing as much as anything else.

Mike Prince, representing owners Middleham Park Racing, offered an update that suggests a clean slate for the season ahead. “He’s grand, he’s back in full work now ready for the season ahead.

“He had that niggle with his knee before the St Leger but that seems to be all good now. He’s cantering away nicely and is due to go into faster work in April.

“We haven’t fully decided what route we are going to go down, we’re pretty confident he would have stayed the Leger trip but Charlie just wants to gauge what speed he is showing at home in his work because obviously he could step up to being a Cup horse or we could campaign him at a mile and a half to three-quarters. We’ll just see what he shows.

“In terms of a seasonal debut, nothing is set in stone at the moment but we are kind of aiming for something like the Ormonde Stakes at Chester, he started his season well last year there and the intermediate mile-and-five trip seems a sensible place to start, but if he’s not ready there’s options at York.

“The timing of his setback was frustrating as it was potentially a winnable race as well but you can’t dwell on the past and we are looking forward to the season ahead.

“Once he gets into his faster work that will tell us which route to go.”

For now, the emphasis is on options rather than decisions. The Ormonde offers a logical starting point, a race that sits neatly between the demands of middle-distance and the sterner tests of stamina that may yet define him. Whether Lazy Griff proves a Cup horse in waiting or remains within more familiar confines will become clearer in the weeks ahead, but either way, his return carries a degree of quiet anticipation.

BetPlay

Chester Ormonde Stakes (Group 3)
£140,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 5f 84y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (6)    Illinois 4 9-7 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 6/5F
2 (2) 1¼ Al Qareem 6 9-5 K R Burke Sam James 7/1
3 (1) ½ Absurde 7 9-2 W P Mullins William Buick 15/8
4 (3) 1¼ Mondo Man 4 9-2 Gary & Josh Moore Tom Queally 33/1
5 (5) ½ Mount Atlas 4 9-2 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 8/1
6 (4) 24 Roaring Legend 5 9-2 Hugo Palmer David Probert 40/1

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