Royal Champion reigns again in Bahrain; a special redemption for Clifford Lee

The Karl Burke-trained gelding won the Bahrain International Trophy—newly elevated to Group 1 status—for the second consecutive year. His jockey had been near death following a motorcycle accident that forced him to miss the 2025 victory. Lambourn finished fourth

BAHRAIN, Bahrain (Special for Turf Diario).— Some victories carry a meaning that reaches far beyond prize money and trophies. Royal Champion’s triumph in the Bahrain International Trophy (G1) was one of them—not only because it enabled him to successfully defend his crown, but also because it delivered Clifford Lee a long-awaited and deeply emotional redemption.

The British jockey raised his fist the moment he crossed the wire, keenly aware of everything he had endured to reach that point. One year earlier, a devastating motorcycle accident had left him fighting for his life and forced him to miss the mount in this very race, when James Doyle stepped in to guide the gelding to victory.

This time, Lee was able to savor the triumph firsthand, steering Karl Burke’s charge to a decisive score over the 2,000 meters of the contest, which was staged for the first time with Group 1 status.

Royal Champion, now an eight-year-old, traveled comfortably throughout just behind the leaders and waited for the right moment to launch his bid. Once he found daylight along the rail, he quickened with tremendous authority and left his rivals with no answer.

The French challengers Zaydann (Dubawi) and Baroud (Frankel) completed the trifecta in that order, unable to seriously threaten the winner’s superiority.

The performance reaffirmed Royal Champion’s particular affinity for major Middle Eastern fixtures. Following his initial triumph in Bahrain, he had traveled to Saudi Arabia in February to capture the Neom Turf Cup (G1) on the Saudi Cup (G1) undercard, partnered on that occasion by Oisin Murphy.

He subsequently finished fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong, though that trip ultimately took a significant toll on his preparation.

“He came back from Hong Kong quite sick. We had to give him plenty of time, and we probably made a mistake trying to run him during the English summer,” Burke acknowledged.

The trainer was referring to his outing in the York Stakes (G2), where Royal Champion finished fourth behind Item(Frankel), well below his true form.

His recovery demanded patience, and it was only in recent weeks that the team began seeing encouraging signs.

“It’s only in the last three or four weeks that we’ve been really happy with him. We hadn’t even been able to take him away anywhere for a gallop. All credit goes to the horse—he won in extraordinary fashion,” Burke explained.

The trainer had even traveled to Bahrain ahead of schedule to personally watch one of his final workouts and verify that he was fit to tackle the challenge.

Yet his greatest satisfaction came from seeing Lee back on top: “I’m thrilled for Cliff. He has had a very tough year,and it’s no exaggeration to say he was close to dying,” he said.

Among the beaten runners, the biggest disappointment was Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko), who arrived as the favorite off his victory in the Prix Dollar (G2) but could manage no better than fifth.

Nor did Lambourn (Australia), the standout winner of both the Epsom and Irish Derbies, live up to expectations.The Aidan O'Brien trainee was asked for effort early to track Galen (Gleneagles)—runner-up in this race in 2025—but lost ground when the tempo quickened and could only stay on for fourth.

For Royal Champion, by contrast, everything went according to plan. At eight years of age, the seasoned campaigner proved once again that his abilities remain intact, adding another top-level victory to his resume.

Bahrain crowned the same champion once more, though this time the celebration carried an entirely different meaning.Royal Champion defended his title in emphatic style, and Clifford Lee reclaimed aboard him a joy that fate had denied him twelve months ago.