O'Brien relishing 'the acid test' as Constitution River faces Juddmonte joust
UNSTOPPABLE: Constitution River and Ryan Moore win the Coral Eclipse (Group 1) for owners Coolmore and trainer Aidan O'Brien. Pic: Healy Racing
The Juddmonte International is always one of the most anticipated races of the British summer – and this year excitement levels are through the roof as defending champion Ombudsman faces off against budding superstar Constitution River in a York blockbuster.
John and Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman etched his name alongside equine greats like Giant’s Causeway (2000), Sea The Stars (2009) and Frankel (2012) with a scintillating display on the Knavesmire 12 months ago.
He looked better than ever when successfully defending his Prince of Wales’s Stakes title at Royal Ascot, but now the five-year-old must concede 7lb to Ballydoyle’s next big thing, a colt who has lived up to Aidan O’Brien’s billing by blitzing his rivals in the Dee Stakes at Chester, overcoming adversity to win the French Derby and then rubber-stamping his prodigious talent in the Coral-Eclipse.
When asked what gives Constitution River the ‘X-factor’, O’Brien told Racing TV: “I suppose it’s his power and his scope, the way he stays and quickens – he was always a very unusual horse.
“He has a great mind and he’s developing really well every month, so every time he runs we’re really looking forward to it and we’re obviously looking forward to York again. John and Thady’s horse is there and that will be the acid test.”
O’Brien does at least have some idea of what it takes to get the better of Ombudsman, having done so with Delacroix in last year’s Eclipse before that form was reversed at York the following month.
“I suppose this is a different horse to Delacroix – he’s big, powerful and straightforward and strong,” O’Brien continued. “Delacroix had a great quicken, this horse is relentless but can quicken as well. He doesn’t have to have things go his way, he’s very happy to do things himself or get a lead. He’s a very, very exciting horse.
“Our horse would be better with a frenetic pace, there’s no doubt, because there’s every chance that he would get a lot further than a mile and a quarter. The pace will be strong and even and I think that’s the way you can gauge a horse.
“Obviously Ombudsman is a very good horse, which is great, but we’re looking forward to the meeting really.”
Ombudsman made an early start to his campaign, winning the Dubai Turf at Meydan in late March, leading the Gosdens to sidestep an early clash with Constitution River in the Eclipse and instead keep their powder dry for his return to Yorkshire.
“His year started very early – he was training in late December, January, February in order to run in the Dubai Turf at the end of March. He had what you might call a winter-spring campaign,” said John Gosden.
“We backed off a little, came back, ran in the Brigadier Gerard as a prep into Ascot. Then the plan was always to back away again, give him time between races. They need to be let down, freshened a bit and come back.” William Buick has steered Ombudsman to each of his four Group One wins to date and is relishing the opportunity to add to that tally.
“I sat on Ombudsman the other morning and he felt his usual self,” he told the Godolphin website.
“It is a competitive race, it always is, and one of the great races. You go into it with plenty of respect, but we have all seen what Ombudsman can do.” If there is a horse to upset the big two, the most likely candidate appears to be Andrew Balding’s Item, who has already shown his liking for the track by winning both the Dante and the York Stakes this season.
The Juddmonte-owned three-year-old did disappoint in a soft-ground Derby in between those two victories, but with conditions more in his favour this week jockey Colin Keane is hopeful he can at least make his presence felt.
“He shouldn’t be underestimated. Obviously he’s coming up against tough opposition, but I think he deserves to be there and I’m looking forward to getting back on him,” said Keane.
“It’s very easy to forgive his Derby run, I could tell early doors he wasn’t going to be effective on it to be honest but you’d love the way he bounced back the last day.
“To be riding a horse owned by Juddmonte in a race they sponsor with the three-year-olds taking on the best older horses, it is what it’s all about.”
