When scanning the racing fixtures, Thursday evening isn’t the most obvious place to look for high-class action. However, those navigating to the final Thursday in May will find a real treat, as Sandown stages the excellent Brigadier Gerard Meeting.
Competitive handicap action bookends the seven-race card at the Esher track. Sandwiched in between, we have four contests rated at Listed level or above, including the Group 3 duo of the Brigadier Gerard Stakes and Henry II Stakes. Those tuning in to the pattern class contests will find a few familiar names, including a star who, for a brief period in 2025, was the highest-rated racehorse on the planet.
No Complaints as Ombudsman Makes Second Appearance in Feature
Named in honour of the legendary Group 1 winning machine of the 1970s, the Brigadier Gerard Stakes is restricted to runners aged four and above and takes place over the 1m2f trip.
While “only” a Group 3 affair, the £95,000 contest boasts an impressive list of previous winners. Focusing on the 21st century alone, Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Workforce is joined on the roll of honour by fellow Group 1 scorers Mukhadram, Shiva, Notnowcato, Poet’s Word, Lord North, Bay Bridge, Hukum, and Almaqam. If the betting is any guide, there is every chance we may see the prize fall to another top-tier winner in 2026.
Hailing from the yard of John and Thady Gosden, Ombudsman is out on his own at the head of the market. Sitting on a mark of 128, he’s 11 pounds and more clear of his rivals on ratings, and, in theory at least, should be able to cope with his seven-pound penalty. However, it was a similar story in 2025, when Ombudsman conceded only three pounds to the field but could finish only second to Almaqam.
Punters who had their fingers burned 12 months ago may be wary of supporting Ombudsman again, but he arrives as a far more established performer this year. While unbeaten in four outings ahead of the 2025 edition, the best of those wins had come in Group 3 company. 12 months on, Ombudsman is now a three-time Group 1 winner, having claimed the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, Juddmonte International, and Dubai Turf. The first of those wins saw the Godolphin runner shoot to the head of the global rankings.
Ombudsman is the star attraction, but there is talent lurking among the opposition. In receipt of seven pounds, Andrew Balding’s Listed winner Almeric has only four pounds to find on ratings, while Arabian Light represents the Charlie Appleby/Ryan Moore combo and lost out by just a nose in his most recent Group 3 outing.
William to Conquer Henry II Stakes Rivals
Earlier on the card, John and Thady Gosden are also responsible for the clear favourite in the Group 3 Henry II Stakes. Held over a stamina-sapping distance of two miles, this staying contest has also fallen to a selection of Group 1 stars, including Big Orange, Brown Panther, Double Trigger, and three-time winner Persian Punch.
Unlike the aforementioned quartet, this year’s market leader, Sweet William, has yet to win at the highest level. That said, he has hardly been disgraced, with career form figures of 3-2-4-3-2 in Group 1 company. Significantly, he has also shown a liking for this course and distance, having registered the first of four wins at Group 3 or Group 2 level in the 2024 edition of this. Fit and well following a comeback win in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot, he must carry a five-pound penalty but remains the one to beat.
Easily the most interesting runner among the opposition is the Charlie Johnston-trained Lazy Griff. A Group 3 winner in his juvenile year, he was zero from three in 2025 but posted three mighty efforts in defeat. Second to Lambourn in the Chester Vase, he filled that same position in the Epsom Derby, before finishing third, again behind Lambourn, in the Irish Derby. Having missed the remainder of his Classic campaign through injury, he looks set to tackle the staying scene in 2026 and adds significant intrigue to this contest.
Appleby Runner the Talk Of Heron Stakes Field
As a Listed level event, the Heron Stakes is a notch below the Brigadier Gerard Stakes and Henry II Stakes, but it also has a habit of falling to a top-class performer. 2025 winner Opera Ballo has since added a Group 1 in Meydan and the Group 2 bet365 Mile, 2024 champ Almaqam struck at the highest level in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and 2021 winner Mostahdaf registered a Group 1 double in the 2023 editions of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International.
Looking at the connections and pedigrees on show, it would be no surprise to see a future Group 1 star emerge from the 2026 field. From four Charlie Appleby entries, Godolphin number one William Buick takes the ride aboard Talk Of New York. By Wootton Bassett and out of the Group 2 winning mare Usherette, this good-looking bay was among the favourites for the 2,000 Guineas following his smooth win at Newmarket in April. He ultimately skipped that assignment, but may book his ticket for the St James’s Palace Stakes with an impressive display here. The four-timer-seeking Yazin and Joseph O’Brien’s Andab head the opposition in an excellent renewal.
The Listed National Stakes completes the pattern class menu and sees a field of promising sprinters lock horns. A rival for many Saturday meetings, this Sandown highlight is comfortably the best midweek evening meeting of the season.