Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-05-08
The 2026 edition has been run. The date of the next running is not in our racing calendar yet.
Chester racecourse guideThis race has been run. The Ormonde Stakes was run at Chester on Thursday 7 May 2026. What follows is kept as it was written beforehand.
Thursday 7 May 2026, 3:05pm BST. Chester Roodee. Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes, Group 3, 1m5f84y, 4yo+, GBP 140,000.
Race over -- Jan Brueghel won. Jan Brueghel (4/7F, A O'Brien / Ryan Moore) beat Mount Atlas (10/1, Balding / Murphy) by 2½ lengths, with last year's winner Illinois (9/2, A O'Brien / Lordan) back in third. Coronation Cup defence at Epsom on Friday 5 June now odds-on. Full coverage in the Ormonde Stakes 2026 result piece.
Honesty note. A Wednesday-night patch on this preview, sourced from intermediate-declarations data on a third-party racecard supplier, wrongly stated that Jan Brueghel and Illinois had not been declared and that Al Qareem at 10/11F headed an 8-runner field. The actual final 48-hour declarations had Jan Brueghel + Illinois both running, Al Qareem at 6/1 (not 10/11F), and 7 runners (not 8). The original preview's framing of Jan Brueghel as the Coolmore headline horse turned out to be the correct read. We've removed the wrong patch text and documented the correction transparently in the result piece's implications section.
The 2026 Ormonde Stakes runs against an unusually open backdrop. Sir Michael Stoute -- joint-record holder of the race with six wins -- retired at the end of 2024, and 2025 winner Illinois has been rerouted to the staying division per Aidan O'Brien's 2026 stable tour. The result is the most strategically interesting Group 3 of the festival: a new NYRA partnership giving the winner a fees-paid berth in the Group 2 Belmont Gold Cup at Saratoga (also a Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket race), and an open trainers' field with Aidan O'Brien stepping into Stoute's vacated position.
The headline runner is Jan Brueghel (Aidan O'Brien) -- the defending Coronation Cup winner. O'Brien at the Ballydoyle press morning, 20 April: "His plan is to go back to the Coronation and the Ormonde might suit as a perfect prep for that, which we did with St Nicholas Abbey [in 2011]... I'm seeing him as a mile-and-a-half horse" [Racing Post / TDN]. Ryan Moore is the booking. This is O'Brien's record-extending eighth Ormonde candidate since 2007.
The non-Ballydoyle hand is led by Al Qareem (Karl Burke, 7yo gelding, OR 114) -- the 2025 Ormonde runner-up and 4 April Listed Goliath Cup winner at Musselburgh. Owner Nick Bradley confirmed the target on 3 April: "From here, I would expect him to go to the Ormonde Stakes at Chester" [At The Races]. Clifford Lee retains the ride.
Mount Atlas (Andrew Balding, Oisin Murphy) -- 1/2 L second to Al Qareem in the Goliath Cup -- is the lightly-raced 5yo upgrader on the typical Ormonde profile. Owen Burrows's 2026 Listed Magnolia winner Gethin is more likely Friday's Huxley than the Ormonde [At The Races 21 April].
This piece covers the named field, the dossier-confirmed trends, the going forecast and the verdict.
For the meeting overall see our Chester May Festival 2026 preview.
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The probable field at the entries-and-probables stage
Final 5-day declarations close Saturday 2 May; final 48-hour declarations Tuesday 5 May. Group 3 Ormondes typically run with 6-8 declared.
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey expected | Best price (proxy at 2 May) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Brueghel (Galileo) | A. O'Brien | R. Moore | not confirmed (will be hot favourite) |
| 2 | Al Qareem (Lawman) | K. Burke | C. Lee | not confirmed (likely 4/1-5/1) |
| 3 | Mount Atlas (sire not confirmed) | A. Balding | O. Murphy | not confirmed (likely 5/1-7/1) |
| 4 | Many Men (Frankel) | J. Boyle | not confirmed | not confirmed (likely 8/1-12/1) |
| 5 | Hamish (Motivator) | W. Haggas | T. Marquand | not confirmed (ground-dependent) |
| 6 | Joseph O'Brien probable (name not confirmed) | J. O'Brien | D. Browne McMonagle | not confirmed |
[Source: At The Races' Ormonde stable-tour roundup; Joseph O'Brien stable tour 2 April; Karl Burke yard quotes 3 April; Coolmore press morning 20 April]
The headline runner -- Jan Brueghel
The 2025 Coronation Cup winner has settled comfortably into Coolmore's older middle-distance team. The Ormonde route is an explicit Coronation Cup prep -- St Nicholas Abbey did exactly the same in 2011 (Ormonde win → Coronation Cup win). O'Brien is 0-for-7 in the Ormonde with prior Coolmore runners [thestatsdontlie.com] -- a remarkable absence for a yard with this number of mid-distance horses. Jan Brueghel's Coronation Cup form makes him the strongest candidate Ballydoyle has had at the race in over a decade.
The 2026 stable-tour quote on Jan Brueghel was unusually direct: "I'm seeing him as a mile-and-a-half horse" -- a deliberate signal that he's not stepping up to Gold Cup distances and that the Coronation Cup → Prince of Wales's → King George trajectory is the season target.
The form-line carrier -- Al Qareem
Karl Burke's 7yo gelding has been a Group 3 specialist for two-and-a-half seasons, with four wins in 2025 including a third consecutive Cumberland Lodge Group 3 at Ascot in October 2025. He was Ormonde runner-up in 2025 (beaten 1 1/4 L by Illinois) and won the Listed Goliath Cup at Musselburgh on 4 April 2026 by 1/2 L from Mount Atlas under Clifford Lee on soft ground.
Burke and Bradley have been deliberate about routing -- Bradley publicly chose the Ormonde over Newbury's John Porter (which Convergent will contest). The "we'd be going there to win" framing means Al Qareem is the sharpest Ormonde value pick at any price 4/1 or longer.
The lightly-raced upgrader -- Mount Atlas
Andrew Balding's 5yo, OR 107, fits the classic Ormonde profile (lightly-raced 5yo on the upgrade, OR 110-120). The 1/2 L Goliath Cup defeat to Al Qareem was a course-and-distance type test (Musselburgh Listed, 1m5f, soft) and the form figures 551924- -- the dash representing the 2025 layoff -- read as a horse who'll improve sharply for the run.
Confirmed non-runners / reroutes
| Horse | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois (A. O'Brien, 2025 Ormonde winner) | Routed to Sagaro/Vintage Crop/Gold Cup staying division | A. O'Brien stable tour 2026 (At The Races) |
| Sweet William (Gosden) | Ascot Sagaro winner 1 May; Gold Cup-bound | Hunts Post 1 May |
| Trawlerman (Gosden) | Direct Royal Ascot Gold Cup target | Hunts Post 1 May |
| Hamish (Haggas, dual 2022/2023 Ormonde winner, now 9yo) | Ground-dependent; Coronation Cup supplement instead being weighed | Press Association via AOL 1 May |
| Sir Michael Stoute (joint-record holder, 6 wins) | Retired end of 2024 | Racing Post 10 Sep 2024 |
Trends scorecard for the 2026 Ormonde Stakes
The Ormonde has the strongest market-faithful pattern of any Chester pattern race. Five trends that decide most renewals.
The five trends:
- Aged 5+. 9 of the last 11 winners aged 5 or older. The Ormonde rewards experience over the tight Roodee bend at staying-middle distance.
- Sent off first or second favourite. 24 of the last 26 winners were top 2 in betting -- one of the most market-faithful pattern races in the calendar.
- Official Rating 110+. Horses below OR 110 generally struggle in this Group 3.
- No Group 1 penalty. Group 1-penalised runners have a poor record (Kew Gardens beaten odds-on in recent renewals; Illinois carried the 5lb penalty in 2025 successfully -- the exception). The penalty matters at the Roodee distance.
- Connects to a Coronation Cup / Hardwicke / Royal Ascot route. The Ormonde is structurally a Royal Ascot stepping stone -- recent winners like Hamish (2022, 2023) and Bay Bridge (2022 ex-Ormonde-second) followed this path.
[Source: At The Races' Ormonde Stakes Stats Guide; thestatsdontlie.com]
The scorecard (top 3 named contenders)
| Trend | Jan Brueghel (~hot fav) | Al Qareem (~5/1) | Mount Atlas (~7/1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Aged 5+ | not confirmed (5yo: yes) | Yes (7yo) | Yes (5yo) |
| 2. Top 2 in betting | Yes (will be fav) | Yes (likely 2nd fav) | Borderline (3rd or 4th) |
| 3. OR 110+ | Yes (G1 winner) | Yes (OR 114) | Yes (OR 107 -- borderline) |
| 4. No G1 penalty | No (5lb penalty as 2025 Coronation Cup winner) | Yes | Yes |
| 5. Royal Ascot route | Yes (Coronation Cup → Prince of Wales's) | Yes (Hardwicke target) | Yes (Hardwicke target) |
| Confirmed passing | 3.5/5 (penalty marks down) | 5/5 | 3.5/5 |
Reading the scorecard:
-
Al Qareem is the trends-cleanest contender by a clear margin -- 5 of 5 trends confirmed. He's the form-line carrier from the Goliath Cup, the right age (7yo, fits the experience-profile), top 2 in the market, and trains for Royal Ascot's Hardwicke. The Karl Burke yard's 2025 form line at Chester (won the John Smith's Cup in July 2025 with Convergent) gives the Roodee fit the benefit of the doubt.
-
Jan Brueghel ticks 3.5/5 -- the Group 1 penalty being the main mark-down. The historical precedent (Kew Gardens beaten odds-on with the same penalty) is a real warning, though Illinois carried it successfully in 2025. If the market makes him long-priced odds-on, the penalty makes the price short.
-
Mount Atlas matches Al Qareem on age and route but is OR 107 (borderline) and likely 3rd-4th in betting. 3.5 of 5 trends. The Goliath Cup 1/2 L margin to Al Qareem suggests he'd have to find more on the upgrade to threaten the favourite.
What the scorecard isn't
A transparent pattern-match against the Ormonde's historical record -- not a probability claim, not a guarantee. As we've documented in our in-house AI horse-racing model write-up, trends narrow the field but don't beat the bookies. The Ormonde's market-faithfulness (24 of 26 from top 2) means the winner is usually obvious; finding value in the second tier is the harder game, and the Group 1 penalty is the historical loophole that makes top-2 picks lay-able.
Going forecast and conditions
Chester Roodee baseline going for Thursday 7 May: Good, with Good-to-Soft possible if midweek showers materialise.
The verified picture from the Chester Racecourse going report dated 1 May 2026 (07:30):
- Course riding: Good (Going Stick 7.3) -- sound, on the quick side of good
- Inner rail position: moved out approximately 4 yards from 4f to 1.5f, and 7 yards from 6f to 4f
- Watering: 4mm on 28 April, 3mm on 29 April, further 3mm overnight 30 April / 1 May
- Forecast: "Warm and dry through until Saturday night with highs of 21°C, then unsettled from Wednesday 6 May with light showers and a 13mph north-westerly breeze, highs cooling to 13°C" [chester-races.com going page; Met Office]
Editorial verdict for the Ormonde: Good is the most likely description, possibly Good-to-Soft if Wednesday's showers extend into Thursday. The Ormonde runs over 1m5f84y -- a stiff Chester staying-middle distance where ground subtleties matter more than at sprint distances.
Implications for the named runners:
- Jan Brueghel -- by Galileo; pedigree handles either Good or Good-to-Soft. The 2025 Coronation Cup was on Good ground. Roodee debut.
- Al Qareem -- 7yo with form on every surface from soft to firm; Goliath Cup 4 April was on soft, and the form figures suggest he handles both equally. Course winner at Chester in two prior runs.
- Mount Atlas -- 5yo with limited Chester exposure; Goliath Cup 1/2 L second on soft suggests he handles slow ground, no firm-ground evidence.
Draw and pace: the Ormonde runs over 1m5f84y on a stiff staying-middle distance where the Roodee bend is encountered three times. Draw bias is minimal at this distance -- pace and tactical positioning matter much more than stall number. Recent winning rides have been from prominent rather than hold-up, with the 2024 winner (Passenger, Stoute) having made all.
How to watch
Off time not confirmed -- the Ormonde typically goes off ~3:05pm BST. First race on the Thursday card from approximately 1:50pm.
TV: ITV Racing on ITV4 / ITVX -- broadcast window approximately 1:30pm to 4:30pm, free to air with a UK IP. Coverage rotates between Chester and the supporting cards.
Online streaming: ITVX (free, UK), Racing TV Player (paid subscription, full card all three days), or any funded UK / Irish bookmaker stream subject to placed-bet conditions.
For the Thursday card overall see the Chester May Festival 2026 preview.
Thursday's verdict
The 2026 Ormonde reads as the most strategically interesting Group 3 of the festival. With Sir Michael Stoute retired and 2025 winner Illinois rerouted to the staying division, the race is open in a way it hasn't been in years -- and the trends scorecard rates Al Qareem as the trends-cleanest contender at a price that respects the form.
Win: Al Qareem (K. Burke / C. Lee). 5 of 5 trends confirmed. The 2025 runner-up + 2026 Goliath Cup winner is the form-line carrier; Karl Burke and Nick Bradley have been deliberate about the Ormonde route over Newbury alternatives. Expect 4/1-5/1 once boards open. The trends-cleanest pick of any race at the festival not named Benvenuto Cellini.
Each-way: Mount Atlas (A. Balding / O. Murphy). 3.5 of 5 trends + the lightly-raced 5yo upgrader profile that fits the Ormonde template precisely. Beaten 1/2 L by Al Qareem at Musselburgh; if pace develops differently and Murphy gets a tow, the form line could reverse. Expect 5/1-7/1 each-way.
Lay / oppose: Jan Brueghel (A. O'Brien / R. Moore) at hot-favouritism. The 5lb Group 1 penalty is the historical loophole -- Kew Gardens was beaten odds-on with the same load, and Aidan O'Brien is 0-for-7 with prior Ormonde runners. If the market makes him 5/4 or shorter, the penalty makes the price short. The trends respect his class but punish the burden.
Sentiment watch: The new NYRA Belmont Gold Cup berth + Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket changes the calculus on which trainers commit. If a previously-unannounced Ralph Beckett or Charlie Appleby runner appears at the 48-hour stage with an obvious US summer pipeline, that's the live narrative pick. Watch for Joseph O'Brien's stable-tour-flagged probable ("a very high rating... if we can get him back to that sort of level he'll be a smart horse" -- name truncated in available coverage [stable tour 2 April]). Joseph O'Brien at 10/1+ in this race would be an angle worth noting.
Where to bet
Independent specialist bookmaker Star Sports has racecourse pitches at every UK Group 1 fixture including Chester. Star Sports withdrew Best Odds Guaranteed in December 2024 [OLBG; Football Whispers]. Value at the firm now comes through curated Star Boosts on selected runners (not market-wide) plus selective race-day money-back specials. The welcome offer is BET40GET20: a £40 first bet at evens or greater returns two £10 free bets, the first when the qualifying bet settles and the second 24 hours later.
For the wider read on Star Sports as a specialist racing operator, see our Star Sports review and the Ben Keith profile. For the cross-bookmaker view of Chester-week offers, see our bookmakers index.
Important note on prices: Race-specific Ormonde ante-post books had not yet opened at most named UK firms (Coral, William Hill, Betfred, Star Sports, Paddy Power, Sky Bet) at 2 May 2026. Expect race-specific Ormonde boards from Saturday 2 May (5-day declarations) onwards, with prices firming after Tuesday 5 May confirmations.
Responsible note
This piece is a transparent application of the trends-scorecard format to the named field. It is not a guarantee of profit -- as we've documented in our in-house AI horse-racing model write-up, no model or trend system reliably beats efficient bookmaker prices. A 5/5 trends pattern-match on Al Qareem at 4/1-5/1 is a high-confidence read, not a guaranteed return. Bet only money you can afford to lose, set limits, BeGambleAware.org.
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