A fourth successive Group 1 was achieved as the three-year-old won the QE II at Ascot.
It was always going to be fascinating as to whether or not Roaring Lion could replicate the success of fellow favourite Stradivarius earlier in the day.
We got a definitive answer as the gutsy horse toughed it out on unfavourable ground to win the QE II Stakes and record a fourth successive Group 1.
SENSATIONAL!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) October 20, 2018
Roaring Lion wins the Queen Elizabeth II at @Ascot pic.twitter.com/ysLML6YRrJ
After the race, it was confirmed that Roaring Lion would be retired, but a run at the end of the year in the Breeders Cup could be a possibility.
The news was met with some sadness, but also whipped some markets into frenzy, as punters rushed to back the Lion for one last hurrah over at Churchill Downs.
You can currently get odds on him for three races: The turf, mile and classic meetings, with odds changing on each one.
For the Turf, he is 5/1 best price second favourite, in from 6s at the start of the morning and as short as 11/4 in places.
In the Mile, he has been installed at 5/1 best price as well, but right in the mix with the market favourite Polydream available at a best price of 9/2.
Finally in the Classic, he is 16/1 best price, but expect that to change, with one bookie halving that price to 8s.
It would be a fairytale ending to one of the most impressive years we have seen from a horse in recent memory, but either way: 2018 has most certainly been the year of the Lion.
Oddschecker Spokesman George Elek: “It remains to be seen if Roaring Lion runs at the Breeders Cup but even if we don’t see him in America, he has been seared into our memories with four successive Group 1 victories, capping that particular run off with a gutsy win in the QE II stakes. Bookies have cut his odds across the board for various races at Churchill Down in any case.”
