John Gosden and Charlie Appleby are both taking a positive view after watching Ombudsman and Ruling Court suffer defeat to Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.

Following an impressive performance in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Ombudsman was sent off the 6/4 market leader to complete a quickfire Group 1 double in the hands of William Buick, who had prior ridden Ruling Court to victory in the 2000 Guineas.

It looked as though backers of the favourite were in clover as Ombudsman scooted into a clear lead heading up the Sandown hill, but he was eventually overhauled late on by a late thrusting challenge from Delacroix.

Despite suffering an agonising defeat, John Gosden, who trains the runner-up jointly with his son Thady, was happy to look at the positives.

He said: "We thought Delacroix would go forward and the French horse (Sosie, 6th) would sit handy but of course it's all happened the other way round. That happens in small fields, and it didn't turn out the way we thought.

"He (Ombudsman) has run a wonderful race. We were trapped rather wide, got close to the pace and Delacroix has then come and run as down late.

"It was one of those kind of races with a small field that can get messy but full marks to the winner who has gone and outstayed the lot of them."

Charlie Appleby was quick to nominate the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville as the next target for Ruling Court following his third-place finish.

This year's English 2000 Guineas winner was withdrawn on the day of the Epsom Derby before struggling to lay a glove on the high-class Field Of Gold in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Stepping up to ten furlongs for the first time, Ruling Court kept on nicely under Oisin Murphy.

A pleased Appleby said: "None of us expected the race to be run like that but full credit goes to the winner. We can take a lot of positives from that. He was relaxed in the parade ring and wasn't wound up like he got at Ascot. I'm delighted with the horse, he done very little wrong and hasn't been out the first three in his career.

"He'll go to Deauville now for the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. That was always our plan after this.

"Hopefully next year, he'll be a horse we can work back from the Prince Of Wales's Stakes with."