Ombudsman wins Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes 2026

Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes

Group 3, Sandown 19:12
£95,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
1m 1f 209y, Class 1

Thursday 28th May 2026

1 Ombudsman 2/5F
2 Gethin 10/3
3 Almeric 12/1
6 ran Distances: nk, 3l, ½l
Time: 2m 6.44s (fast by 0.56s)

Three-time Group 1 winner Ombudsman fends off Gethin to land the @StarSports_Bet Brigadier Gerard Stakes 🥇 @Sandownpark pic.twitter.com/dDsD1ZiBoW
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 28, 2026

Ombudsman did just enough to secure victory over Gethin, completing the ideal preparation for a return to Royal Ascot.

John and Thady Gosden’s star performer had been beaten under a penalty by Almaqam in this race 12 months earlier and for a moment it appeared history might repeat itself, with Gethin this time attempting to capitalise on a weight advantage.

However, the William Buick-ridden 2-5 favourite dug deep in the closing stages to repel his rival by a neck, setting up a mouthwatering clash with Arc hero Daryz in next month’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

Gosden said of the five-year-old, who made his seasonal debut in the Dubai Turf on World Cup night in March: “He needed the race last year and, to be honest, he hasn’t seen grass since Meydan.

“He’s trained entirely on the all-weather because of the dry spring and lack of rain.

“He’s gone through his girths and become a real professional now. He just does what he has to do.

“I thought it was a good performance giving away 7lb and I thought the second horse ran a tremendous race as well.

“I’m delighted because he came here at around 85 per cent fitness. This was a trial for Royal Ascot and it has brought him spot on.

“He’s a very cool customer these days. They get older and wiser, a bit like experienced boxers, and learn not to waste energy.”

Ombudsman remained a 5-2 chance for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes with leading bookmakers, with Gosden relishing the prospect of a clash against Francis-Henri Graffard’s Daryz.

He added: “I think it will be a fascinating race. Daryz looks a phenomenal horse and it should make for a proper Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

“Ombudsman is a bigger, stronger horse than he was a year ago and I’m delighted with how he has matured.

“The pace of the race is important to him and I see no reason why he can’t continue to run well all season.

“I’m not keen on stepping him up to a mile and a half. There are so many wonderful races over a mile and a quarter and I think it’s a beautiful distance.

“I love races like the Arc and the King George, but I’m not going to force him into those. For me, proper older horses meeting over a mile and a quarter is what the sport is all about.”

Unlike the winner, runner-up Gethin is set to bypass Royal Ascot and could instead return to Sandown for the Coral-Eclipse in July after producing a career-best effort on his first start for Wathnan Racing.

Trainer Owen Burrows said: “He’s run a massive race and taken his form to a completely new level.

“We’re disappointed to be beaten because not many horses get that close to Ombudsman, even allowing for the weight difference and the fact he may not have been fully wound up.

“For a moment you were hoping Ombudsman might just be short of a run, but we hadn’t run for seven weeks ourselves and the experience of a race like this should bring our horse forward as well.

“His comeback win at Kempton wasn’t in the strongest race, but he was impressive and this has elevated his form again.

“We’ll skip Ascot, watch that race from afar and there’s every chance we could come back here for the Eclipse.

“I’m convinced he’ll stay further in time, but for now I’m very happy sticking to 10 furlongs and there’s no need to rush him up in trip.”