Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1) 

It’s the race of the week.

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Ombudsman, Daryz, and Minne Hawk are all multiple Group 1 winners, and Almaqam recently joined the gang; that’s four of the field who have won at the top level.

John & Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman heads the market. He won this last year, plus the Juddmonte International, and this year he’s added the Dubai Turf. William Buick is the man in the plate. He’s a very smart horse.

Francis Henri Gaffard is responsible for Daryz. He didn’t run as a juvenile. He made his debut in April last year, putting together a sequence of four wins before travelling to York for the Juddmonte International, where he finished last. Japanese horse Croix Du Nord, twice a G1 winner at home since, just touched off him in a trial for the Arc. He then got the better of Minnie Hauk in the Arc on soft ground. This year, he’s added the Prix Ganay and Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d’Ispahan). Mickael Barzalona rides.

Aidan O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk, the mount of Ryan Moore, took the Oaks, Irish Oaks, and Yorkshire Oaks last year and was just touched off by Dayrz in the Arc. She was very good in the Mooresbridge Stakes on her comeback this year, but was turned over in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last time out. Her trainer felt the pace of the race, muddling and slow in the middle, was very much against her, especially over 1m2f.

That race was won by Ed Walker’s Almaqam under Kieran Shoemark. He beat Bay City Roller, who put a nice shine to the form when hacking up in the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

Andrew Balding’s See The Fire will be partnered by Oisin Murphy, and Roger Teal’s Dancing Gemini will have Rossa Ryan in the plate; both are outsiders; both are very good horses, both G2 winners. See The Fire has won the last two Middletons at York and was third in this last year. Dancing Gemini showed he retained his ability, running fourth in the Lockinge.

Both Godolphin and Ballydoyle employ pacemakers in Devil’s Advocate and Mississippi River, with Rob Havlin and Wayne Lordan doing the steering. They’ll know how to do their job.

Conclusion

This is more open than the market suggests.

With two pacemakers in here, there will be no hiding place, especially on fast ground. That will suit their main players, Ombudsman, and Minnie Hauk, both of whom have won on good to firm.

Ombudsman’s wins last year were punctuated with two losses; Delecroix beat him in the Eclipse, and Calandgan beat him in the Champion Stakes.

Daryz is very high-class. After finishing last in the Juddmonte, his trainer said it made a man of him and laid the foundation for his Arc win. The fear is that he might have found the ground too quick at York.

Minnie Hauk won the Moorebridge easily, but flopped badly in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. She’s well capable of putting that run behind her.

Almaqam ran well when third to Calandagan and Ombudsman in the Champion Stakes. He looked a sharp horse with a turn of foot on return at the Curragh; he bossed the race, winning it with authority.

Minnie Hauk’s best form is over 1m4f, and there is a question over Daryz’s ability to handle firm ground. Over this 1m2f, Ombudsman and Almaqam might just have the edge. Sea The Fire could run well and might even sneak a place.

In the spring last year, Almaqam beat Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown, albeit in receipt of a penalty. There wasn’t a lot between the pair at Ascot in October when second and third to Calandagan.

While Ombudsman won in Dubai and followed up in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown this year, doing so under a penalty, neither of those runs looked as classy as Almaqam’s impressive run at the Curragh. Ed Walker and Kieran Shoemark won the Queen Anne yesterday. They can add another G1 to their CV today.

Recommendation

Almaqam 13/2 win

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