Royal Champion sinks Almaqam in Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes

Karl Burke's seven-year-old was available at 16/1 when tipped in Ben Linfoot's Verdict column on Friday afternoon but he halved in price and went off 8/1 with Almaqam sent off 6/4 favourite.

However, while Kieran Shoemark was shovelling the coal on the favourite inside the final half mile Clifford Lee was sat motionless as he loomed up on the bridle down the centre of the track.

A long lingering look over his left shoulder suggested Lee felt he had his rivals' measure and that proved to be the case as Royal Champion skipped away for an emphatic two-and-three quarter length success.

Almaqam did respond to pressure to ensure second with Ecureuil Secret in third, completing a clean sweep for the older horses and extending the three-year-old generation's misery in this race.

The last three-year-old winner was Best Alibi in the inaugural running in 2006 and 17 have now been beaten since then including nine sent off 5/2 or shorter.

Stanhope Gardens is the latest well-fancied three-year-old to fail in this race as Ralph Beckett's 9/4 chance came home in fifth.

Lee said: “I was very delighted. I thought it was a competitive enough race for him but he’s been running well in better races without being disgraced.

“He’s obviously feeling younger than what he is. I looked across at the two pole and I had the field off the bridle and then when I asked him he picked up very nice.

“We know he stays further so when I pressed the button he ran all the way to the line.”

Burke said on ITV Racing: "He won a Group 3 and this was a nice next target as it’s York and local. I was hoping the ground would be a little bit quicker for him but he’s handled it.

"I’ll have to have a word with the owner and see if he wants to supplement him [for the Juddmonte International] on the back of that performance.

“We did speak earlier in the year about Canada, he was second in the Woodbine race for Roger Varian and that’d be a nice race. We’ll make plans later, he’s a lovely horse and hopefully we can campaign him around the world if the owner lets me."

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