Trawlerman is set for Sandown

Ombudsman leads Gosden team for Sandown's Brigadier Gerard Stakes card

By Graham Clark

Horse Racing

Mon May 26, 2025 · 7M ago

Thady Gosden believes the Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on Thursday represents a nice starting point for the unbeaten Ombudsman this season.

The son of Night Of Thunder, who Gosden trains in partnership with his father John, will attempt to make a triumphant return in the £80,000 Group 3, which is the highlight of Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Evening, Britain's richest evening meeting.

Last season the Godolphin-owned colt enjoyed a profitable campaign, which started with a debut win in a novice contest at Newmarket’s July Course and ended with a Group Three success in the Prix du Prince d’Orange at Longchamp in September.

And, although Ombudsman will be burdened with a three-pounds penalty for that victory, Gosden feels he can take in the mile and a quarter test, which his father has won on three previous occasions, on route to a possible breakthrough outing at Group One level.

Thady Gosden said: “Ombudsman has had a nice break over the winter and the plan has always been to come here followed then by hopefully a run at Royal Ascot where he holds an entry in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

“He is a horse that we have taken our time with and the Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a good spot to start his season off on.

“Although his Group Three win last year was on soft ground, he is relatively versatile when it comes to ground. Like most horses he wouldn’t want extremes.

“He has been on target for this all spring and he has been training well. He has made good progress in his work this year.

“He seems in very good order with himself and hopefully this will bring him forward nicely."

Although Ombudsman sprung a surprise when scoring at 18/1 on his debut Gosden admits he has possessed plenty of natural ability from the outset.

He added: “He has always seemed a talented colt, but they don’t know what price they are when they run, however it wasn’t the biggest surprise he won the first time out. He progressed very well last season and developed gradually through the ranks to end up winning a Group Three on his last start.

“He has always been a horse that has just taken a bit of time to mature, but he had a good three-year-old campaign and we hope he will have a smart four year old campaign as well.”

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Before Ombudsman takes to the track the father-and-son duo will bid to strike Group 3 glory with stayer Trawlerman in the Star Sports Henry II Stakes.

And Gosden expects last year’s runner-up in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, who finished fifth on his return in the Group Two Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in April, to be well suited to the demands of the two-mile test.

He said: “Trawlerman ran a solid enough race over in Dubai and he has come back from that very well. He has obviously had a little freshen up since then and, similar to Ombudsman, he is going here ahead of a trip to the Royal meeting.

“It makes sense to give him one run before Ascot as it will sharpen him up and it will bring him on in terms of fitness as well. With him being a horse that likes to be ridden fairly prominently the track here should suit him and he should run a nice race.

"He has always been an enthusiastic character and the older he gets the more he seems to love it. Hopefully he can run a nice race and go back to the Ascot Gold Cup in good order.”

Elsewhere on the card the Gosdens could be double handed in the Star Sports Heron Stakes, which the pair won during their first season together in 2021 with Mostahdaf, with both Bowmark and Nebras holding entries in the £45,000 Listed prize.

Although Bowmark was beaten at the same level on his return in the Burradon Stakes up at Newcastle in April the son of Kingman, who holds an entry in the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting, bolted up back in novice company at York last time out.

Gosden said: “Bowmark won well at Kempton Park first time out and caught the eye of a few people. He ran a very nice race at Newcastle in the Burradon Stakes on his comeback on what was only his second run of his life against some much more experienced horses.

“After he was second at Newcastle the plan after that was to try and win a novice with him, which he ended up doing well. It was by no means a bad race he won at York as the horse that was second had some solid form.

“He is a horse that we have always liked and he has a great attitude and he seems to have taken another step forward for that run at York. If he ends up going to Sandown Park we will see how he gets on there before making any future plans."

As for Nebras an appearance in the mile contest would see him drop down in trip having finished second over 10 furlongs at the same level in the Listed Nyetimber Newmarket Stakes on the Rowley Mile earlier this month.

Gosden added: “We took Nebras out of the London Gold Cup as the ground was quite quick down there at Newbury, but he ran a solid race last time at Newmarket over slightly further in the same grade as this.

“If we do decide to bring him here, the stiff mile should suit him well. He is very smartly bred so hopefully he can continue translating that to the track.”

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