Roaring Lion the beneficiary of tactical ineptitude by James Doyle on Poet’s Word. Hard to really make a case that the ground was not as fast as at Ascot for the favourite but the proximity of the 109-rated Thundering Blue in third beating a Guineas winner and an Irish Derby winner tells us everything about the moderateness of this season. Will wonder horse Saxon Warrior be quietly packed off to stud now or do they fancy a chance in the Breeders’ Cup?
Nothing wrong with going towards the stands side rail at York. If he could have got a run up the rail i reckon he would have had every chance to win it. I don't think he quite has the turn of foot to quicken after being stopped over 10furlongs. Only being beaten three lengths after all that went wrong would suggest he is the best of them. Race couldn't have gone better for Roaring Lion. Wouldn't knock Tundering Blue that much. A Group 2 winner last time being placed in a Group 1 is plausible.
Or, Roaring Lion the beneficiary of a fantastic ride from Oisin Murphy who put the race to bed in a matter of strides with a perfectly timed delivery. At the weights the best horse in the race won, no doubt. He is a quirky animal and has been a work in progress throughout his short career. He isn’t obviously bred for flat turf racing and it would be really interesting to see him over 10f on dirt. Gorgeous looking animal too. Interesting to see where they go for the rest of the season. Is there a 10f dirt race at the breeders cup? I am sure the clever ones on here can advise.
Thundering Blue was ridden for a place much like Desert Encounter in the Eclipse last year so I wouldnt knock the form on that. Poets Word obviously bit unlucky the way the race panned out and done well to get second after that but Roaring Lion stepped up massively on his Eclipse run and all Poets Word would have been was a closer 2nd. Despite the US pedigree, Roaring Lion is bred for turf not dirt, Kittens Joy is a 1m4 turf sire and the dam was a turf horse as well. I wasnt sure he was good enough to win our G1 races after coming up short a few times but he has proved me wrong. I always said he would clean up in USturf G1s if he didnt make the grade here as hes a rolls royce turf cruiser suited to a slow pace. I wouldnt dream of throwing him into a 10f dirt G1 at Churchill and after having won the Eclipse and the Judmmonte, he doesnt need to go anywhere after the Irish Champion other than for sporting purposes, Hong Kong Cup would be a decent option. Gosden was adamant that he doesnt stay 12f so that would rule out the BC Turf. Hopefully they keep him in training next year.
