Noble just Champion for Walker and Shoemark

South Wales Argus

21-06-2025

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.'