Bookies suspend Juddmonte betting after Ombudsman finishes work on Newmarket July course

Ombudsman ridden by William Buick on their way to winning the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire. Picture date: Wednesday June 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder. Credit: PA SEVERAL bookies have mysteriously suspended betting on the Juddmonte International – after Ombudsman pleased trainer John Gosden with his work on the Newmarket July course. William Hill, Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral and BetMGM were among the firms to pull their market on the York feature, leaving the ‘race of the year’ in jeopardy. A worrying market move for Ombudsman could see punters robbed of arguably the showdown of the year in the £1.5million Juddmonte International at York’s Ebore festival Credit: The Times Of those who kept their markets up, Paddy Power and Sky Bet pushed the awesome Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner out to 5-4 having been 10-11. The majority of layers eased him to evens, while big rival Constitution River, the three-year-old trained by Aidan O’Brien, was clipped into a general 5-4. The noticeable market move came as Ombudsman’s price rocketed on the Betfair Exchange, where, at the time of writing, he had been matched for very small stakes at 26.0 (25-1). He was later back into 2.32 (11-8) fav, while three-year-old colt Constitution River had been backed into 2.54 (6-4). At 11.40am, Ombudsman had last been matched at a worrying 8.0 (7-1) with Constitution River now firm favourite at 2.34. The cause of the bookie move was not immediately clear, especially as legendary handler Gosden declared himself happy with what he had seen. And a video taken this morning and posted online appeared to show the horse fit and healthy after running over seven-and-a-half furlongs and on turf for the first time since his Royal Ascot heroics. Gosden told Sporting Life: “It was just a nice, normal solid piece of work, and that is all we wanted. Most read in Horse Racing “We can now build up towards York. He is a pro now. “He does what he has to do in his work. “He isn’t going to do anything flashy, not that I wanted it, and the pull up area here is quick enough so I didn’t want them to go flying into the dip.” O’Brien recently confirmed his Prix du Jockey Club and Coral-Eclipse monster was nailed on for the £1.5million Group 1, to be run on Wednesday week. He is all set to be joined in the race by Andrew Balding’s course and distance specialist Item, plus pacemakers for Ombudsman and Constitution River. Coral’s David Stevens said: “We were hearing reports that all may not be quite right with Ombudsman this morning, so made the decision to temporarily pull our betting on the Juddmonte International, given what a key horse he is in the market. “Hopefully the rumours will prove to be unfounded, and we can reopen betting again soon, as his clash with Constitution River is something we’re all looking forward to seeing.” FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here. Comment now