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A Royal Ascot winner for Roger Varian in 2023, he ended his time with the Carlburg Stables handler by finishing second in the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine before spending the next year in Australia with Anthony and Sam Freedman.
Returned to the UK to join Burke, he proved a cut above when landing the Quebec Stakes at Lingfield, form that has since been franked by the runner-up Tyrrhenian Sea.
He now tries a new distance in this Group Three event, but Burke is certain there is more in the tank now the gelding is fully settled into his new surroundings at Spigot Lodge.
Burke said: “He’s never raced over this trip but I think he will stay and I hope he is good enough, he’s in great form.
“This was the obvious race for him after Lingfield. I would have preferred to stay at a mile and a quarter, but I do think he’ll have no problem with the trip around Southwell.
“I couldn’t have been happier with that first run, but he will definitely strip a bit fitter this time. He wasn’t with us that long before Lingfield, but he’s been working really well and I’m really happy with him.”
Standing in Royal Champion’s way is Military Academy, who has the chance to enhance his Clarehaven team’s excellent record in the race.
John Gosden has won the race three times in his own right before combining with son Thady to send out Lord North to victory in 2023 and their latest contender arrives having regained the winning thread at Kempton in November.
The four-year-old will be ridden by Robert Havlin, who said: “Military Academy was progressive last year. I rode him on his debut at Hamilton and he showed a great deal of ability to beat The Reverend.
“I am happy with the draw (stall five) as he is a horse who likes to warm into his race. He is coming here on the back of a good performance in the Floodlit Stakes and, with natural progression, hopefully he can pick up from where he left off.
“He is very laid-back at home and is as fit as we can get him. We are using this as a stepping-stone to a race in Bahrain next month and this should leave him spot on. All that being said, we are expecting a big run.
“You have to have a lot of respect for Royal Champion, while the likes of Persica and Champagne Prince should be in the mix on their best form.”
Meanwhile, Burke also holds a strong hand in the supporting BetUK Hever Sprint Stakes with the resurgent Marshman, who is unbeaten in two starts on the all-weather in 2025.
He has been handed a tricky draw in stall one as he drops back to the minimum distance in a race in which he is disputing favouritism with Clive Cox’s defending champion Diligent Harry.
However, Burke is keen to test the waters back at five furlongs ahead of a possible run on All-Weather Championships Finals Day.
Burke said: “He had a few little niggles we ironed out at the end of last year and he has always been a horse we have thought a lot of.
“I always thought he would come back and I knew a few people doubted we would, but I’ve been very happy with his runs on the all-weather.
“Dropping back in trip is not ideal, but he needs a third run to qualify for Finals Day and it was either come here over five furlongs, go to Wolverhampton for the Lady Wulfruna over seven furlongs or a handicap carrying top-weight over six.
“Trip-wise that last option would have been ideal, but if he goes and wins a handicap he could handicap himself out of Finals Day.
“It’s a bit of an experiment dropping back in trip and I’m not a fan of the draw, there’s a lot of pace in the race but it seems away from us. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
