Kitten's Joy's Roaring Lion Battles To QEII Glory

If toughness is transmitted genetically, Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) had it all from the beginning with his rock-hard sire combining with the gallant ill-fated Vionnet (Street Sense) and the results of that ensemble was in evidence on Saturday in the culmination of Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. Made to labour on ground that blunts his greatest weapon, Qatar Racing's redoubtable grey who had carried all before him since early July showed the other side of his character as he toughed out a fourth straight win in a prestige event. Having to race without cover throughout, the 2-1 favourite was kept within hailing distance of the leaders by Oisin Murphy and after grinding his way past Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) with 150 yards remaining held out from Ballydoyle's 3-year-old filly I Can Fly (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) by a neck, with a half length back to Century Dream in third. “His owners are very game and brave to come here, as they had everything to lose and nothing to gain,” trainer John Gosden said. “He's proven his class and had the guts to get there, as I think he hated every second of running on that ground. He found that soft ground too deep, you could tell by his action, but he has a lot of heart and got the job done. He's got so much bigger and stronger with all the races I've thrown at him and he would have won by five if the ground had been good-to-firm.”

“I told Sheikh Fahad that he wouldn't win the Craven,” Gosden revealed after this race, harking back to the dark days of the non-existent British spring when all Roaring Lion was interested in was showing his lighter side to all around him. Few colts can have their intent honed in the manner that he has and come back each time wanting more, but from Craven to Guineas to Dante to Derby he was just offloading his excess baggage and concentrating more and more on the task of becoming a ruthless thoroughbred machine. When it came to the Eclipse on the first Saturday of July, he had to overcome a horror trip trapped wide throughout but still managed to break down his Racing Post Trophy conqueror Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) with his most professional display yet. By the time he had thrashed that rival and the King George hero Poet's Word (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}) in the Juddmonte International at York Aug. 22, Roaring Lion had truly cast aside all boyish tendencies and another dynamic run in the Sept. 15 Irish Champion left him with little to prove on turf.

This added that extra dimension, proving a resilience to fight to the death when the workload was demanding against a soft-ground specialist like Century Dream and a filly on the up from Ballydoyle. As they came into line inside the last 100 yards, it was nip-and-tuck but Roaring Lion had the final say as if he had come here a fresh horse and not one who had been on the go since April. The last point to prove seems to concern the Breeders' Cup Classic and there is some of the Giant's Causeway and the Sakhee about this high-class turfiste. His owner believes that could be his final posting. “This eclipsed York, without a shadow of a doubt,” Sheikh Fahad commented. “In fairness to him, he owes us nothing and has done us proud all year long, winning every race he could have won next year. The Breeders' Cup is under consideration, but I'll talk with my brothers and John. If he does, he might go for the Classic–that is the most likely on the dirt. I want to see his sons and daughters racing and his retirement wasn't an easy decision for me, but we all agreed on it. Trying to upgrade our breeding operation is the most important part of the long game and he's going to help with that.”

Roaring Lion's aforementioned dam Vionnet, who was third in the GI Rodeo Drive S., was euthanized at Rood and Riddle in February after developing laminitis when six-months pregnant. Only one week away from foaling, she broke her hock in the Rood & Riddle clinic and her More then Ready filly was born but could not sustain life as her lungs were too weak. Breeder Jan Vandebos Naify was on hand to witness this moment of glory and Sheikh Fahad revealed that there had been emotional scenes. “Jan loves this horse–she was in tears and the horse knows her too. He saw her in the paddock, I swear, and it was if he was saying “mother's here”! Qatar Racing's leader also revealed that the operation's G1 Sussex S. hero Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was seventh, is Breeders' Cup-bound. “Soft ground didn't suit and as long as they don't get rain then he's off to the Breeders' Cup Mile and then to stud,” he added.

Gosden is wary of the Classic challenge and said, “He's American-bred and while I think he'll act on the dirt on pedigree, the problem with the dirt is the kickback. They go hard and do 22-and-change throw dirt in the face of those behind and they lose their rhythm and breathing. We'll see how is tomorrow and next week is the pre-entry stage. It comes up a bit quick, but we'll see.”

Ballydoyle were encouraged by the effort of I Can Fly, who was building on a win in the G2 Boomerang S. and a fourth in the G1 Sun Chariot S. and who was making up for the withdrawal of the stable's main hope Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who had been second in the latter contest. Withdrawn after becoming upset in the stalls, she was led back unscathed. I Can Fly's rider Donnacha O'Brien said, “She's run a cracker. Everything went smooth and I'm delighted with her–there are no excuses. She has shown big improvement today and run really well.” Century Dream's trainer Simon Crisford commented, “I thought at the furlong pole we were going to win–my heart was beating like you can't imagine. We freshened him up after the Arlington Million, hoping that this race would cut up and that it would be desperate ground. It didn't cut up, but he has run with great, great aplomb. I think we will prepare him for the Duty Free in Dubai–I think a mile and one round Meydan would suit him very well. He's getting better as he gets older; he's just such a super horse and a great flag-bearer for the stable.”

Vionnet was one of five stakes performers out of the GIII Las Cienegas H. and GIII Senator Ken Maddy H. winner Cambiocorsa (Avenue of Flags), headed the GII Royal Heroine Mile S. winner Schiaparelli (Ghostzapper) and the GII John C. Mabee S. winner Moulin de Mougin (Curlin). Cambiocorsa is a full-sister to California Flag, who was successful in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and three times in the GIII Morvich H. Vionnet's 2-year-old colt Fran the Man (Medaglia d'Oro) was unsold at $265,000 as a Keeneland November foal, but the following year was bought by Spendthrift Farm for $550,000.

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ELIZABETH II S.-G1, £1,156,250, Ascot, 10-20, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:42.48, sf.
1–ROARING LION, 127, c, 3, by Kitten's Joy
1st Dam: Vionnet (GISP-US, $175,140), by Street Sense
2nd Dam: Cambiocorsa, by Avenue of Flags
3rd Dam: Ultrafleet, by Afleet
($160,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Ran Jan Racing Inc (KY); T-John Gosden; J-Oisin Murphy. £655,709. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, 12-8-1-2, $3,575,197. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–I Can Fly (GB), 124, f, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Madonna Dell'Orto (GB), by Montjeu (Ire). (240,000gns Ylg '16 TAOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Rockwell Bloodstock (GB); T-Aidan O'Brien. £248,594.
3–Century Dream (Ire), 130, c, 4, Cape Cross (Ire)–Salacia (Ire), by Echo of Light (GB). O-Abdulla Belhabb; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Simon Crisford. £124,413.
Margins: NK, HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.00, 33.00, 25.00.
Also Ran: Stormy Antarctic (GB), Recoletos (Fr), Lord Glitters (Fr), Lightning Spear (GB), Laurens (Fr), Romanised (Ire), Hey Gaman (GB), Beat The Bank (GB), Addeybb (Ire), Gabrial (Ire). Scratched: Aljazzi (GB), Happily (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.