'They can't all have run bad races can they?' - Royal Champion bolts up in York Stakes for surprised Karl Burke

Be afraid, be very afraid. If the weather has truly broken and the season of scorched lawns and hosepipe bans is over, Karl Burke could just be about to hit form.

He has moved into the top division of trainers of late, breaking the £2 million, £3 million and £4 million prize-money barriers in successive seasons.

Things have been a little quieter this year at his Middleham yard, which had to settle for "only" one winner at Royal Ascot.

But Royal Champion signalled there may well be better times ahead by positively bolting up in the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes.

Although the seven-year-old had won a Lingfield Listed race and the Group 3 Winter Derby in his first campaign with Burke, he had managed only seventh of eight in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot, although he was backed from 16-1 on the eve of racing into 8-1 at the off.

That money proved inspired as he cruised through the 1m2½f contest, sprinted past 6-4 favourite Almaqam and scored by a comfortable two and three quarter lengths under Clifford Lee.

It was the perfect boost for Burke, who reflected of his season: "It's been going well, I can't complain but we're a little bit behind where we were last year.

"Some of the three-year-olds haven't performed as well as we'd hoped. The two-year-olds have been brilliant but, as we know, the real prize-money is in the older horse division and a lot of our older horses have wanted softer ground.

"Royal Rhyme, Fallen Angel and numerous others want a bit of cut, which we haven't had this year. I'm hoping they're all in one piece for the autumn."

Royal Champion is another to look out for, judged on the way he won here.

"I didn't really expect that," Burke admitted. "I was hoping for a good run and he's been working really nicely but he always works nicely. I thought that was a massive step up on what he's done.

"They can't all have run bad races and not turned up on the day, can they? He was travelling very strongly and I was just waiting for Cliff to press the button.

"He said when he did press it he really picked up strongly, as he did in the Winter Derby and in the Listed race at Lingfield. Cliff said he felt better again today."

Lee said: "He was very good today. I looked across going to the two-pole and I felt like I had all the field off the bridle. He just had a little canter round – he's a very good horse but we didn't expect him to do it like that."

Catching his trainer on the hop means that targets have yet to be decided for the Irish Champion Stakes entry, who finished second in the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine for Roger Varian in 2023.

"That would be a nice Group 1 to go for, he goes on the all-weather as well and I hope he's a horse we can campaign round the world, but we need to speak to [owner] Sheikh Mohammed Obaid," Burke said.

Almaqam had no answer to the winner's finishing burst but jockey Kieran Shoemark said: "He ran well. He hit the front and he was lengthening all the way to the line – no excuses."

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