Tag Archive for: Noble Champion

Noble to Champion Walker’s Goodwood hopes

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Royal Ascot hero Noble Champion is set to lead Ed Walker’s squad into battle at next week’s Qatar Goodwood Festival.

The Lambourn handler is enjoying an excellent season, highlighted by multiple Group-race victories thanks to the exploits of not only Noble Champion but also the likes of Almaqam – who is bound of this weekend’s York Stakes – Mgheera, Scenic and Ten Bob Tony.

Walker is preparing several high-class operators for various races on the Sussex Downs and is hopeful of adding to his hitherto meagre tally at the track’s feature meeting of the year.

Ed Walker is lining up a strong team for Goodwood
Ed Walker is lining up a strong team for Goodwood (PA)

Speaking at a Goodwood-organised press visit at his yard on Tuesday, the trainer said: “Numerically we are not flying along, it just seems that way as we received a lot of good publicity following a couple of high-profile winners.

“The last month or so has been a bit bread and butter and also frustrating as we’ve had a shed load of seconds and thirds in the last fortnight.

“In our number of winners we are a bit down on last year, so the truth is we are making headlines but not adding to our total – and to date I’ve only had one winner at the big Goodwood meeting.”

Noble Champion, a surprise but impressive winner of the Jersey at the Royal meeting last month, is one of two Walker-trained entries for the HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes on July 29, along with his John of Gaunt Stakes scorer Ten Bob Tony.

Ed Walker is preparing his horses for Goodwood
Ed Walker is preparing his horses for Goodwood (PA)

However, with both horses in the same ownership, they are unlikely to lock horns.

Of Noble Champion, Walker said: “He needs a good, even gallop like the one he got from Spy Chief in the Jersey, and that horse went on to run a solid race in the July Cup.

“My horse thumped Spy Chief at Ascot and we’re buzzing about him. He’s a very exciting horse.

“We also have Ten Bob Tony in the Lennox, but Noble Champion is more likely to go as he’s OK on the better ground and is in flying form.”

Scenic won the Group Three Bronte Cup at York on her penultimate start before pushing red-hot favourite Estrange all the way in Haydock’s Lancashire Oaks.

The five-year-old, who was purchased by the powerful Wathnan Racing team prior to her neck defeat on Merseyside, is also set to be part of Walker’s Goodwood-bound battalion.

Scenic (left) pushed Estrange all the way at Haydock
Scenic (left) pushed Estrange all the way at Haydock (Nigel French for The Jockey Club)

He added: “Scenic ran a massive race in the Lancashire Oaks and is heading for the Lillie Langtry.

“She didn’t get the credit she deserved in a muddling race at Haydock and I’m happy to take on the winner again. I think she will run to a higher rating in the Yorkshire Oaks than at Goodwood.”

Other planned contenders for the trainer include Celandine, who ran a race full of promise on her return from 10 months off the track when third in York’s Summer Stakes recently, and the Coventry and July Stakes runner-up Do Or Do Not.

“Celandine and Balmoral Lady are both in the King George Stakes and at this point it looks more like Celandine will go there as she wants it (the ground) like a road. She has bags of speed, but just got hassled by Rage Of Bamby at York last time,” said Walker.

“The owner of Do Or Do Not is very keen to take him to the Vintage Stakes and that’s the plan as it looks like he’s crying out for seven furlongs.

“He’s bred to be a fun horse but he’s very good, and deserves to win one of these Group races.”

Noble just Champion for Walker and Shoemark

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Noble Champion provided trainer Ed Walker and jockey Kieran Shoemark with their second Royal Ascot winner in as many days after careering clear of his rivals in the Jersey Stakes.

Having successfully combined with 22-1 shot Never Let Go in Friday’s Sandringham Stakes, Walker and Shoemark teamed up with another relative outsider in Noble Champion, who was 25-1 having struggled to make an impact in Group Three and Listed company this spring.

But stepped back up in trip from six to seven furlongs for this Group Three assignment, the Lope De Vega colt flourished, racing in the slipstream of the pacesetting Spy Chief for much of the way before taking over and pulling three and a quarter lengths clear, despite hanging left late on. Favourite Comanche Brave was just under three further back in third.

“It just hasn’t panned out, he had a setback in January that messed up our prep for the Greenham,” said Walker.

“We thought he was a Guineas horse, we really believed a lot in him. We thought we’d go a sensible route and we went in a conditions race at Goodwood over a mile, there wasn’t much pace. He was keen and he just got it all wrong.

“We brought him back to six, he just shows so much speed at home – we even thought about supplementing him for the Commonwealth Cup because he has so much speed.

“Finally the trainer got it right! He’s as good a work horse as we’ve had, he’s a very impressive horse. He’s very quick with such a high cruising speed, he’s very, very smart.

“He’s driven me mad, I’m guilty of wearing my heart on my sleeve and I tell my owners if I think the horses are good, bad or ugly. I told Simon (Sadler, owner) how much belief I had in this horse, we were gutted he got beaten on debut.

“I said to Simon that if it didn’t work today, then I didn’t know what was going wrong. The ground, track, and trip was all right.”

Shoemark felt the course and distance had suited his mount well, adding: The stiff seven furlongs here at Ascot, with a nice strong pace has really seen him at his best effect. He was in a lovely rhythm and it was just a matter of time to when I pressed go, he really hit the line strong.

“It can be a lonely place in front here, with the grandstand there’s plenty to look at. He wouldn’t have been in front a lot on his own before, so he was entitled to be a little bit green, but he’s very talented.

“The yard really is flying and there is a lovely team at home at Ed Walker’s. It’s a really impressive operation. I feel very fortunate to have partnered some good horses this week.”

Spy Chief’s rider Robert Havlin was pleased with the 20-1 shot’s effort having run just three times previously.

He said: “A great run, he’s an inexperienced horse coming from a novice win at Yarmouth. He’s still learning and still needs to relax a bit. I think the more racing he does, the better he will get.”

Donnacha O’Brien said of his third-placed runner: “He ran OK, I don’t think he had any excuses, the first two pulled well clear. This is a tough place, any time you hit the board, it’s not a bad result.”