The colt Pow Eco delivered the United Arab Emirates its first victory of the current edition of the prestigious Royal Ascot festival in the United Kingdom, held in the presence of King Charles III, Queen Camilla, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, and Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King of Bahrain for Humanitarian Affairs and Youth Affairs and President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, along with a number of owners, trainers, and horse racing enthusiasts.
The colt, racing under the colours of the heirs of Sheikh Mohammed bin Obaid Al Maktoum, claimed the St James's Palace Stakes Group 1 title over 1,600 metres, ridden by jockey Billy Loughnane and trained by George Boughey. Pow Eco, a son of Night of Thunder, sealed the title in a time of 1:38.48, after a thrilling contest by a margin of less than a head over Gstaad.
Meanwhile, Godolphin's Ombudsman, trained by John and Thady Gosden, is set to return to competition for the Prince of Wales's Stakes on the second day of the festival, alongside stable companion Devil's Advocate, who races under the colours of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
"Ombudsman had a light break after his win in the Dubai Turf before running in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, where he beat a good horse in Gythen. The Prince of Wales's Stakes looks very strong with Darius in the field, but Ombudsman has progressed well since Sandown and goes into the race in good shape," said Thady Gosden.