A summer of odd and muddling Group One races continued as Ombudsman, the favourite, eventually stayed on well through the final furlong to win the International Stakes by three and a half lengths, after Birr Castle, the 150-1 pacemaker, had straightened up for home with a 20-length lead.
It was an ultimately convincing success for a high-class and still-improving four-year-old, who did not see a racecourse until June 2024 but, less than a month after Qirat’s 150-1 win in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, it was not an easy watch.
