Item produces stunning Juddmonte International comeback to beat Ombudsman & Constitution River at York Ebor

The three-year-old, a 10-1 shot trained by Andrew Balding and owned by Juddmonte, appeared to have too much ground to make up inside the final furlong before Colin Keane conjured a remarkable finish.

It was a particularly notable result given the presence of Ombudsman and Constitution River, who were the two favourites for the Group One feature.

Ombudsman arrived at York with an official rating that placed him joint-best horse in the world, making him the benchmark for the field.

The Charlie Appleby-trained star was held towards the rear as Constitution River helped force the pace alongside Hawk Mountain, with the latter setting the tempo for the Ballydoyle runners.

Constitution River remained prominent throughout and was one of the key players as the field turned for home, while Ombudsman had plenty of ground to make up.

The world’s joint-best-rated horse began to make progress up the straight, finding room on the inside, but he was unable to produce the acceleration required to seriously threaten the leaders.

Instead, it was Almaqam who emerged as the biggest danger.

The Tattersalls Gold Cup winner swept into the lead approaching the final furlong under Kieran Shoemark and looked to have put the race beyond reach. He traded at 1.01 on Betfair before Item’s extraordinary late charge changed everything.

Keane had been forced to switch Item to the right after encountering trouble in running more than two furlongs from home. Once in the clear, however, Item began to close rapidly and flew past Almaqam in the closing stages to secure a memorable victory.

The result was a major upset given the pre-race expectations surrounding Ombudsman and Constitution River, while Item’s own participation had been in doubt just 48 hours earlier after a blood blister was discovered on his foot.

“We declared but at the time of declaration he wasn’t running,” trainer Andrew Balding revealed. “We just thought we’d give it time because they found a little blood blister on his foot.”

The problem cleared in time for Item to travel to York, although his preparation was far from routine.

“As soon as it popped he was pain-free and it wasn’t a problem but the boys have worked super-hard on him,” Balding said. “Big thanks to them.

“Everything bar the last 48 hours had gone to plan. It was an unorthodox preparation because usually our runners come up the night before and he had to leave at the crack of dawn this morning. It was a five o’clock decision to get on the box and come up here.

“He got everyone out of bed to see him jog up to be sure we were happy with him.”

Balding praised Keane for remaining patient after Item was caught in traffic.

“Colin did a beautiful job, as ever,” Balding said. “I thought he was in a bit of a pocket, he’s a big horse and Colin wisely managed to get him out and find some space. Then he really hit overdrive.

“I thought we were going to be an unlucky second and in the last 50 yards Colin really made it count.”

The victory adds another major prize to a remarkable summer for Balding and Juddmonte, following successes in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Falmouth Stakes and Prix Rothschild.

“It’s amazing,” Balding said. “We’ve been extremely lucky to be sent these horses in the first place.

“There’s probably any number of trainers who would have done well with the horses we have been sent, I’m not saying it’s all down to us, but it’s been a fantastic ride and Juddmonte are the best team to deal with.

“They really offer great support and wise counsel and it’s a pleasure to deal with them.”