Royal Ascot Day 2: Ombudsman defends Prince of Wales’s title

On Day 2 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in England, the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) picked up a qualifier, and an exciting young filly stayed unbeaten.

Prince of Wales’s (G1)

The feature event on Day 2 was the Prince of Wales’s, a prestigious 1 1/4-mile contest that serves as a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Turf. For the second straight year, top honors went to Ombudsman, who became the first back-to-back winner since Muhtarram in 1994-95.

Ombudsman’s 2025 triumph came by two lengths. He doubled his margin of victory as the even-money World Pool favorite in 2026. With William Buick in the saddle for trainers John and Thady Gosden, Ombudsman rated far off the tempo set by pacemakers Mississippi River and Devil’s Advocate, who pulled well clear of the other six runners in the early stages. Then, in the homestretch, Ombudsman unleashed a giant rally outside of rivals to draw off and score by four lengths in 2:03.24.

“[Trainer] Aidan [O’Brien] had a pacemaker, and we thought we'd have ours [Devil’s Advocate] doing what we wanted to do as well,” said John Gosden. “They wound up meeting coming into the bend and off the bend, so they obviously agreed on the pace.

“Devil's Advocate, with a furlong to go, I thought they were going to have to go a bit, but Ombudsman has got a phenomenal turn of foot – great acceleration for a mile-and-a-quarter horse. He just showed that class. It is quite something to come away from a field like that.”

The filly Minnie Hauk, winner of the Epsom Oaks (G1), Irish Oaks (G1), and Yorkshire Oaks (G1) as a three-year-old last year, took second place by 1 3/4 lengths over Daryz, reversing her narrow defeat to Daryz in the 2025 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1). Almaqam, Dancing Gemini, See The Fire, Devil’s Advocate, and Mississippi River completed the order of finish.

Ombudsman is now unbeaten in three starts this year. The Godolphin star opened 2026 with wins in the Dubai Turf (G1) and Brigadier Gerard (G3).

“We thought Ombudsman came here in good shape,” said Buick. “He was faultless going into Dubai in the spring and had a good prep in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown, which was a steppingstone to coming here. Every step of the way he was perfect, so there was a great deal of expectation, of course. Conditions were here to suit him, but I don't think you can ever expect a performance quite like that.

“You had a good pace to follow and three or four good horses that you expected to be to the fore. We were all together; essentially there were only three or four lengths between myself and Minnie Hauk, so I think it was a truly run race and one where the form will hold up. We had great respect for Daryz, Minnie Hauk was so good last year, and Almaqam was so good in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, so we had huge respect for the opposition. But again, with Ombudsman, we have great belief in him and all he can do. Today, he pleasantly surprised me a little with how well he did it and the feel he gave me. He was exceptional – it's very rare for a horse to do what he did.”

Aidan O’Brien, the trainer of Millie Hauk, was pleased with his filly’s performance. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf sixth-place finisher bounced back nicely from a recent fifth-place run as the heavy favorite in the 1 5/16-mile Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1).

“We are delighted. We thought what happened the last day was that she's really a mile-and-a-half filly, and over a mile and a quarter she wanted an end-to-end gallop,” said O’Brien. “Obviously, that was going to suit the winner as well. She's so straightforward. Ryan rode her very confidently, like there was no doubt about anything today. He said she kept travelling from the three to the two, while the winner had a little bit more speed than her over a mile and a quarter.”

O’Brien indicated a return to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is in the cards for Minnie Hauk.

“The lads will decide what they want to do, but I'd say something like the King George, one more run and then the Arc. That would work very well. This was the perfect prep for the King George today.”

Queen Mary (G2)

Minnie Hauk may have fallen short in the Prince of Wales’s, but O’Brien picked up a record-extending 99th winner at Royal Ascot when Coolmore’s Victorious unleashed a terrific finish to dominate the five-furlong Queen Mary for juvenile fillies.

The 27-horse field split into two groups, with Victorious racing among the trailers in an 11-horse pack on the far side. But in the final quarter-mile, the daughter of Wootton Bassett charged to the front under jockey Ryan Moore and hit the wire clear by two lengths in :59.19, delivering for bettors who made her the 7-2 World Pool favorite.

“Victorious is very classy,” said O’Brien. “She only has sight in one eye, so we were a little worried about where she was drawn [post 5] over there, but Ryan was brilliant on her. He reassured her and let her find her way through. He got a little group to follow and then took her to the outside.”

Senorita Bonita, racing on the far side, secured second place by a nose over U.S. raider Ruiva, who finished first of 16 runners on the stands’ side. Completing the order of finish were Pershaada, Crownbreaker, Alta Regina, Shimmering Sun, Velozee, Armor Supreme, Wild Blossom, Miss Lizzy, Drazinda, Crystal Queen, Fast Track, Big Negotiator, Kentucky Rain, Princess d’Orange, Havana Lightning, More Champagne, Love a Giggle, Magic Effort, Envision, Lover Girl, Shining Moment, Niewiadoma, Celtic Dispute, and Bint Archange.

Winning the Queen Mary brought Victorious’ career tally to 3-for-3. She previously won a pair of six-furlong sprints at Naas, including the Fillies Sprint (G3).

“Victorious is a gorgeous filly, and we think the world of her,” said Moore. “She has a lot of talent. She is blind in her left eye, so she can't see anything on that side.

"She is just a sweetheart. She has always shown plenty and is a very natural filly, with a lot of pace and loads of quality. She is so straightforward, an absolute peak professional.”

In 2021, Twilight Gleaming used a runner-up finish in the Queen Mary as a steppingstone to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) at the end of the season. The Juvenile Turf Sprint is now a Grade 1 prize and could potentially be a target for Ruiva. Ruiva, like Twilight Gleaming before her, is trained by Wesley Ward.

“[Ruiva] is a beautiful filly. She is a hard trier, extremely talented, and she is going to have a big future,” said Ward. “That is a very good horse that beat us; we cannot take anything away from her. She had two runs, and we had one, so I think we are going to move forward as well from this. We are excited to have such a high-quality filly here in such a prestigious race.”

Queen’s Vase (G2)

At the end of a testing 1 3/4-mile journey in the Queen’s Vase, Limestone (the 3-1 second choice in the World Pool) proved narrowly best in a field of 11 sophomores, edging Del Maro by a nose in a thrilling drive to the finish line.

With Dylan Browne McMonagle in the saddle, Limestone raced prominently throughout, sitting in third or fourth place as Ranga Tang carved out the pace. Down the homestretch, Limestone launched a sustained challenge to edge past Ranga Tang and outkick the rail-rallying Del Maro by the narrowest of margins.

“I was very happy going into the first turn,” said Brown McMonagle. “Limestone pinged the gates, and I rode forward. I had my options open. If there was a couple going, I was happy to follow, but if there was no speed, I was going to let him stride because he is a big galloper with a lovely cruising speed. It worked out well when a couple took it off us, giving me a lead.”

The winning time was 3:02.07. Ranga Tang finished one length behind the top pair in third place, followed by Point of Law, Ravenspire, Galiyan, Asakir, Magnetude, Mr Colonel, Wareeth, and Port of Spain.

“The horse is very tough and tenacious,” said Joseph O’Brien, who trains Limestone for the partnership of Valmont, Al Shaqab, and Ballylinch Stud. “It was a close finish, but I am delighted to come out on top. I thought we were beaten, to be honest. Dylan gave him a fantastic ride. He got a great spot and control of the race, which is what we intended to do because we felt our best attribute was a little bit of speed.”

The Queen’s Vase marked Limestone’s fourth consecutive win. Stamina is a strong suit for the improving bay colt; he’s unbeaten in three starts since stretching out over 1 5/16 miles and farther.

"I think the sky is the limit for him in terms of a middle-distance or staying horse,” said O’Brien. “He has got better with every race and has an outstanding pedigree. He is a son of New Bay who has improved with every start, so all we can do is see how far he can climb.”

Duke of Cambridge (G2)

Fillies and mares raced one mile over the round course in the Duke of Cambridge, and 9-5 World Pool favorite Blue Bolt surged late to triumph in decisive fashion.

The Juddmonte color-bearer broke wide from post 11 and stayed in the front half of a 15-horse field throughout. She turned for home in contention and finished up strongly under jockey Colin Keane to defeat Jancis by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:39.07.

“She is a star. She is relaxing better this year, which is helpful,” said winning trainer Andrew Balding. “Colin Keane gave her a brilliant ride – it’s not an easy draw, but he was decisive and got her into position. We know she gets a mile, so she’ll likely stick at that distance for the time being.”

Friendly Soul rallied for third place, followed by Kon Tiki, Snellen, Carolina Jetstream, Cathedral, Arisaig, Godspeed, Falakeyah, Francophone, Dash of Azure, Catalina Delcarpio, Shes Perfect, and Noche Clasica.

“Blue Bolt is very uncomplicated,” said Keane. “I think she’s heading in a Group 1 direction. She has improved with age and experience, and I hope she can continue progressing that way. I am very lucky to be riding in these colors and even luckier to be riding winners in them here.”

Later in the day, Rogue Diplomat beat 27 rivals to win the Royal Hunt Cup handicap, Alobayyah posted a neck triumph in the Kensington Palace Stakes handicap, and King of Cloughan took first prize against two dozen rival juveniles in the Windsor Castle S.