Roaring Lion ends career with gutsy QEII victory at Ascot

Roaring Lion successfully handled the drop in trip to land a thrilling Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and secure a first top-level success over a mile on a glorious Champions Day at Ascot.

Winner of the Coral-Eclipse, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs, John Gosden deemed the soft ground sufficient to drop back in distance and avoid a clash with stablemate Cracksman in the Champion Stakes.

And that decision paid off in style as Roaring Lion took on some of the best milers in Europe and came through with flying colours, with Oisin Murphy electing to come up the centre of the track and having enough in hand to fight off the fast finish of the Aidan O’Brien-trained I Can Fly and long-time leader Century Dream to win by a neck and justify 21/ favouritism.

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Roaring Lion may well have gone out on a high, as Gosden suggested that could be a career-ending win for the son of Kitten’s Joy.

Gosden said: “Oisin said he hated the ground. That is no-one’s fault, it is very deep. He won on fast ground at Leopardstown and he is probably a good ground, good to firm ground horse.

“He showed his class and I thought the jockey showed his class, as he did not panic. He could have panicked at the two and thrown everything at it, but he nursed him and got him there.

“Having walked the track I reassured everyone it was fine, but it is real deep, autumn ground. He was not happy on it, but he had the class to do it. Full marks to the horse.

“The horse and he (Murphy) have grown in confidence together, which is an important thing. It is like a motor-racing driver with their car – when they get in tune with one and other.”

He went on: “It was very brave of the owners to run, because he is going to stud and if had got beaten they would have done nothing but devalue their horse. It’s their sponsorship, so it is fantastic to win this race for them.

“It is down to horse and jockey and rather brave owners. I nearly got the wobbles watching it!”

He added: “He has never missed a dance and I think he will go to stud. I think that was his swansong and he will be greatly missed.

“He is a much better horse than that and on good ground he would have flown home. He got the job done through guts. It is great credit to the horse.”