Royal Champion back with a bang after stint in Australia Royal Champion proved well named when producing an excellent display to claim the BetUK Quebec Stakes at Lingfield. A Royal Ascot winner for Roger Varian, the six-year-old son of Shamardal had most recently been seen in Australia and finished second in a Group Two for Anthony and Sam Freedman before being well held behind Via Sistina in the TAB Champions Stakes at Flemington. Making his first start for new handler Karl Burke in the 10-furlong Listed event at the Surrey track, Royal Champion was always travelling kindly for jockey Clifford Lee as he kept tabs on Amy Murphy’s front-running Pride Of America. The Sheikh Mohammed Obaid-owned gelding breezed past Pride Of America with just under two furlongs to run and spinning the bend for home already had defending champion Tyrrhenian Sea trailing as Jack Mitchell began to get more urgent in the saddle. To his credit, the Varian-trained chief market rival kept on chasing the 5-6 favourite to the line, but it was Royal Champion’s class that came to the fore as he was simply kept up to his work by his rider to register a convincing victory. The winner is now set for a slight step up in trip to tackle the Winter Derby at Southwell on February 22. Burke, speaking away from the course, said: “He hasn’t been with us that long, only four or five weeks, but he did it very well. “He’s been working nicely and it wasn’t the original plan to go there, but he’s been working so well I just thought it was worth a crack at it. “There’s not many races for him now, only really the Winter Derby now. So he’ll probably have a go at that I think. “He’s going to have to go an extra furlong, but he wasn’t stopping and Cliff thought he’d get it and I think a stronger pace will help him as well. “They didn’t seem to go that quick and he travelled very strongly and he’s entitled to come on fitness wise as well, we hadn’t done a lot with him for a few weeks after he travelled over from Australia, so I’m sure he will come on a bit.”
