Lightning Spear has Champions Day date

Lightning Spear has booked his ticket in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Lightning Spear thrust himself into the reckoning for the QIPCO-sponsored Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day with a fluent victory under Oisin Murphy in the Doom Bar Celebration Mile at Goodwood today.

The five-year-old was gaining his first win for 14 months but showed he could be a force to be reckoned with this autumn as he came from last to first to secure an authoritative victory in the Group Two event.

Now with David Simcock after the retirement from training of Olly Stevens, the 4-1 chance had posted an excellent effort on his debut for his new handler when finishing third in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, he had failed to reproduce quite that kind of form in two subsequent starts but back on quicker ground, he demonstrated the electric turn of foot he has always produced at home.

Arod, who like the winner is owned by Qatar Racing, made it a decent pace from the start and was still in front two furlongs out, only to be grabbed by Zonderland.

But Murphy made a race-winning move approaching the distance when instead of trying to go inside, he changed his mind and pulled Lightning Spear out to pick up and reel in the latter.

The combination won going away by a length and three-quarters, with Arod keeping on for third and Toormore fourth. The favourite Thikriyaat was the first to be ridden along and came home last of the five starters.

“We’ve always known what a good horse he is but things haven’t gone right for him,” Simcock said: “I feel sorry for the horse because he has so much talent, but he’s only really been let go twice. He didn’t show up in the Sussex and at Deauville, it was a messy race run on tacky ground.

“I will aim him towards Ascot now and it will be the QEII. I’ve always said he’s the best miler we’ve had and I believe that next year he will show his true potential.”

Simcock also told Channel 4 Racing that ground would be no issue for Lightning Spear, adding: “We’ve always thought he would be better on fast ground but his run in the Queen Anne was very good. Tepin is exceptional, probably the best miler in the world.

“I’m not a great fan of the three-year-olds, I think it’s really patchy form. We’ve almost gone in to the last two races quite confident that we would beat the three-year-olds, so it’s been quite hard to go home and think you’ve got it that wrong! So we’d have no problem with that [soft ground] in October, I think his run at Royal Ascot proved he goes on soft ground.”

Coral reacted by shortening the winner into 14-1 from 25-1 for the Ascot Group One, which forms part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, on October 15.