The final week in May saw Sandown step into the spotlight with the classiest midweek evening meeting of the year. Headlined by Ombudsman’s appearance in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, the Thursday evening fixture lived up to its usual high standards.
Moving on to the weekend, issues at Haydock led to Carlisle staging its highest-profile fixture in recent times. The week’s most spectacular headline then arrived on Sunday afternoon, as that man Aidan O’Brien was at it again with an incredible 1-2-3 in the French Derby.
Ombudsman Made to Fight in Brigadier Gerard Stakes
Home to two Listed events and a pair of Group 3 contests, Thursday evening’s Brigadier Gerard card from Sandown was the highest-class fixture of the week on British shores. As ever, the titular Brigadier Gerard Stakes took top billing, with last year’s runner-up Ombudsman the overwhelming favourite to go one better.
Finding only Almaqam too good on his seasonal return in 2025, Ombudsman had a run under his belt this time around. Too good for a Group 1 field last time out in the Dubai Turf, the mount of William Buick started at odds of just 2/5, despite having to carry a seven-pound penalty. Those who took the skinny odds had a slight scare in the final furlong, as the Owen Burrows-trained Gethin served it up to the market leader. However, Ombudsman had enough in the locker to repel his rival and score by a cosy neck.
Brigadier Gerard Stakes 2026 Result
| Pos | Horse | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ombudsman | 2/5F | John & Thady Gosden | William Buick |
| 2nd | Gethin | 10/3 | Owen Burrows | James Doyle |
| 3rd | Almeric | 12/1 | Andrew Balding | Oisin Murphy |
A defence of his Prince of Wales’s Stakes crown is next on the menu for Ombudsman. Looking forward to that Royal Ascot contest, joint trainer John Gosden summed up the thoughts of many racing fans when stating:
“It should be a fabulous race with Daryz coming over from France. It’s what the game is about: top-quality horses meeting in those events. It could just be the race of the meeting.”
Carlisle Steps in to Help Haydock out of a Hole
Carlisle Racecourse is renowned for its scenic setting, welcoming atmosphere, and the Carlisle Bell, one of the oldest sporting trophies in the world. Despite those selling points, the track is unaccustomed to taking centre stage on a Saturday afternoon. However, to the delight of track management and local fans, Carlisle was selected to stage Saturday afternoon’s relocated card from Haydock, with five of the contests shown live as part of ITV Racing’s Saturday afternoon coverage.
Haydock’s issues arose at the meeting on Saturday, 23rd May, when a hole as deep as a human arm was discovered following the opening Hedge Of Oaks Stakes. That hazard saw three races abandoned, with the remaining events switched to the inner track. Initially, it had been hoped that the inner course could stage the Saturday afternoon fixture, but that plan was scrapped when the track failed an inspection on Tuesday afternoon.
“When you see a person’s arm disappear down a hole you know you’re in trouble!”
Haydock Racecourse were forced to cancel their race card following the finding of a drainage hole on the home straight last weekend 👀 pic.twitter.com/397mqfcCQK
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 30, 2026
Haydock’s loss was Carlisle’s gain, as a track which usually plays host to one Listed flat event each season gained a card including the Group 3 Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes, the Listed Achilles Stakes, and the valuable Silver Bowl Handicap. With £421,000 on offer over the course of the eight-race card, this was the richest race day in the long history of Carlisle Racecourse.
In a memorable day for the track, the David O’Meara-trained Estrange stole the show with an effortless victory in the Group 3 feature, just as she had when the event was staged at Haydock in 2025. Touted as a potential Arc challenger last season, she may be given her chance to shine at Longchamp in 2026, but the Lancashire Oaks, which she also won in 2025, is next on the agenda.
Ballydoyle Takeover in the French Derby
It wouldn’t be a racing digest without an appearance from Ballydoyle supremo Aidan O’Brien. This week, the Coolmore winning machine set sail for France with the Prix du Jockey Club in his sights.
O’Brien saddled three in pursuit of his third Prix du Jockey Club success, with Constitution River the choice of Ryan Moore and the betting market. Arriving on the back of an impressive Dee Stakes triumph, Constitution River had solid form claims but had received a nightmare draw in stall 15 – no horse had won the race from a double-figure stall since New Bay in 2015. Joining Constitution River on the plane from Ballydoyle were 2025 Futurity Trophy winner Hawk Mountain and 36/1 outsider Montreal, who had finished second in a Listed event over course and distance in April.
Prix du Jockey Club 2026 Result
| Pos | Horse | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Constitution River | 12/5F | A P O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2nd | Hawk Mountain | 10/3 | A P O’Brien | Christophe Soumillon |
| 3rd | Montreal | 36/1 | A P O’Brien | Wayne Lordan |
| 4th | A Boy Named Susie | 37/1 | Donnacha O’Brien | Maxime Guyon |
A case of varying strength could be made for all three O’Brien runners, but even the man himself surely wouldn’t have predicted a 1-2-3. Nevertheless, that is exactly what unfolded. Front-runner Montreal was the first to kick for home in the straight and briefly looked to have stolen a march on his rivals. However, Hawk Mountain was quickly on his heels, while Ryan Moore’s decision to stay wide on Constitution River paid off, as the market leader secured a clear run at his stablemates.
Passing the furlong pole, Montreal, Hawk Mountain, and Constitution River made a wave of three across the track, with a three-length gap back to the rest of the 16-runner field. With the winning post fast approaching, Constitution River got on top to score by three-quarters of a length from Hawk Mountain, with Montreal a head back in third. Taking fourth place was A Boy Named Susie, trained by Aidan’s son, Donnacha O’Brien.
For most trainers, a 1-2-3 in a Group 1 on foreign soil would be a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Aidan O’Brien is not like most trainers. This was not even the first time O’Brien had filled the first three places in a top-tier event at Chantilly. Ten years ago, in a race relocated to Chantilly from Longchamp, O’Brien saddled Found, Highland Reel, and Order Of St George to finish first, second, and third in the 2016 edition of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
