Ombudsman ‘looks magnificent’ ahead of Dubai Turf tilt

While John Gosden has stated it has not been ideal preparing Ombudsman for the Dubai Turf through an English winter, he has arrived at Meydan in top shape.

Winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International last summer, he found only Calandagan too good at Ascot on Champions Day.

He is set to go off as the odds-on favourite against 10 rivals, in a race his owner Sheikh Mohammed picked out with Gosden back in October.

“It’s not easy, you’re training in the winter so we don’t have ideal weather for it,” said Gosden, who trains along with his son, Thady.

“Given that we’ve got the rest of the season coming, I wanted to train him at home. He had a little away day at Chelmsford.

“We’re happy with him, he’s trained nicely and as I say, it’s been the plan since last October.”

William Buick will be on board as usual and said: “He feels great, I’ve been riding him at home in all his work as well and he’s done everything right, hit every target.

“He looks magnificent, you’d have to be very happy with him. He took to the turf track well under the lights the other night, he’s a professional.”

Quddwah has enjoyed a fruitful Carnival for Simon and Ed Crisford, winning twice, and he looks sure to give his running.

“He’s a high-class horse and he goes into the Dubai Turf in really good form,” said Ed Crisford. “He loves the Meydan track, he is really suited to the style of racing here in Dubai.

“It will be tough against Ombudsman, he was the best mile-and-a-quarter horse in Europe last year.”

Ed Walker’s Fort George is another who has been in great form recently, winning a Group Three and chasing home Rebel’s Romance last time out. This represents a stiff task, though.

“The weather will be interesting in Dubai, it is hard to know what is going to happen with the ground,” said Walker.

“If he popped out of the gate a bit better he’d have won the Cambridgeshire.

“He is a solid Group horse and he will need to be better to beat Omsbudsman, but Omsbudsman is having his first run and we are hard set and ready to go, so let’s see.”

He added: “It’s really exciting, we are very proud of him. We’ve been patient with him and Jim and Fitri Hay (owners) are wonderfully easy to train for and very supportive in doing the right thing by the horse.

“We’ve not over-raced this horse and they are reaping the rewards.”