After beginning his season in the Temple Stakes at Haydock, Rogue Lightning is headed for the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Before travelling to Paris-Longchamp for the Prix de l'Abbaye, the four-year-old won three races last season: the Listed Scarbrough Stakes, the Shergar Cup Dash, and a Doncaster handicap.
There, he finished fifth, defeated by just a length and a quarter, and after being owned by the Rogues Gallery syndicate, he was sold to Wathnan Racing for £1 million.
At Haydock, he raced in the Group Two Temple Stakes for the first time for new connections, riding for their retained rider James Doyle.
“I thought he ran a really encouraging race in the Temple Stakes, he was a little bit restless in the stalls and bunny hopped out slightly but I think that was just down to being off the track for half a year,” said Clover. “The ground was very tacky and he’s a fast horse, it blunted his speed a bit and we were just racing away from where the race developed as well. He ran on strongly and hit the line well, looking through the sprint races so far this year, everything that ran well had run before but it wasn’t so much fitness, it was just that match sharpness that we lacked a touch.”
“He’s at his best during the summer and the autumn, I think it was a good stepping stone for us to go to Royal Ascot from there,” Clover said. “He’s come out of the race lovely, we might just take the hood off in the race next time. He’s definitely sharpened up, he is in race mode now. He’s got course and distance form at Ascot, where he goes afterwards I’m not sure, but we could go to Goodwood potentially and I’ve put him in the July Cup in case we want to go there. I’d imagine we’ll be staying at five (furlongs), fingers crossed he can have a really good season.”