Ombudsman’s stablemate Field Of Gold will contest the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes for trainer John Gosden, whose strong hand on the day also includes Gold Cup winner Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup.
Owners Godolphin had a pacemaker to assist the Ombudsman in the Juddmonte at York and will do so again in the £1.3m Champion Stakes, with Devil’s Advocate replenished to the tune of £75,000.
French challenger First Look is another additional entry, while other leading contenders include Almaqam, who defeated Ombudsman earlier this season.
The rivalry between Gosden and Delacroix’s trainer Aidan O’Brien has been sparked by comments from both.
O’Brien had urged Gosden, who trains with son Thady, to persuade the Ombudsman for last month’s Irish Champion Stakes.
But Gosden senior said his horse “would not appreciate running into multiple entries from one stable on a track with a short straight” and opted to miss the Leopardstown race, which Delacroix won.
Speaking to the media ahead of Ascot, O’Brien said: “John can whine a bit after races, win or lose, but it’s always good sport, and I only say it lightly.
“We treat every horse with the utmost respect and that will never change.”
Field Of Gold was an impressive winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot before suffering a surprise defeat in the Sussex Stakes after which he was found to be lame.
Rosallion will be hoping to go one step further in the QEII, trained by Richard Hannon, after three narrow defeats at the top level this year, while Karl Burke’s filly Fallen Angel enters the race on the back of a Group 1 hat-trick.
Kalpana, runner-up to Calandagan in the King George, is among the favorites in the Fillies and Mares Stakes and finished seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Andrew Balding, second in the British Trainers’ Championship behind O’Brien, saddles Kalpana, while his other hopes include Almeric and Fox Legacy in the Champion Stakes and Never So Brave and Marvelman in the QEII.
“Ascot is a fantastic way to end the season at the greatest racecourse in the world,” Balding told BBC Radio Berkshire.
“It’s certainly been a great year for us and hopefully we can add to it on Saturday.”
In the Champions Sprint, Wathnan Racing has leading claims with Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Lazzat, along with 2024 winner Kind Of Blue and Flora Of Bermuda.
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