Lion's Roar might not have won for nearly three years but the gelding still holds a special place for trainer John O'Shea, especially after a drought-breaking victory at Randwick.
Lion's Roar's victory in the Group 3 Summer Cup (2000m) was his first since taking out the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) in March 2021.
Despite the passage of time, O'Shea says the son of two-time Group 1 winner Contributer hasn't let him down.
"He was probably one of the first horses we bought when I came back training in my own right again," O'Shea said with reference to the $NZ65,000 purchase at Karaka in 2019.
"He's always dancing the big dance and he hasn't had a lot of luck barrier-wise either.
"We are very proud of him and if you have a stable full of those horses, life is easy.
"He's now broken the $2 million mark."
He’s back 🦁 A well-deserved victory for Lion’s Roar (Contributer {IRE} x Minnaleo {NZ}) in the G3 Summer Cup under @G1TySchil. A $65k @KarakaChat purchase, he has amassed over $2m in earnings. Congrats to @ChampionTbreds and all of his winning connections, & our awesome team 🍾 pic.twitter.com/ZFuVVgJJp3
— John O'Shea Racing (@JohnOSheaRacing) December 26, 2023
Lion's Roar came off a third placing in Group 2 The Ingham (1600m) at Randwick on December 9.
Not missed in the market, Lion's Roar ($2.80 favourite) won by a neck in a driving finish over Luncies ($11) with Baby Rider ($4.20) in third.
"He feels like he's a bit tired at the moment but after a spell I think he'll do a great job," jockey Tyler Schiller said.
Those thoughts were shared by O'Shea.
"It is a little kick-along for him and he'll go to the paddock with his tail in the air and there's no reason why he couldn't pick up another race or two next season," O'Shea said.
