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

[Wandering Eyes]

   Carrying all before him since early July, Qatar Racing’s redoubtable Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) showed that dropping back to a mile held no fears on Saturday as he toughed it out to secure a fourth straight win in a prestige event in Ascot’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. Having to race without cover throughout, the grey was kept withing hailing distance of the leaders by Oisin Murphy and was ideally within range as Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) turned it into a stamina test from two out. Grinding his way past that rival with 150 yards remaining, the 2-1 favourite had Ballydoyle’s 3-year-old filly I Can Fly (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) to contend with in the gruelling run to the line but held out to prevail by a neck, with a half length back to Century Dream. “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 probably goes to stud now.”

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, £2,723,865.

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