Group One glory the ultimate aim for Tempus

Tempus will be aimed at Qipco British Champions Day following his victory in France on Sunday.

A new flag-bearer for Hambleton Racing after the retirement of Group One-winning sprinter Glen Shiel, the Archie Watson-trained Kingman gelding struck in a valuable handicap at Ascot on King George day before landing Group Three spoils at Salisbury.

And he backed those efforts up in Deauville, winning the Group Three Prix Quincey under a penalty, again in the hands of Hollie Doyle.

Tempus was a 25,000 guineas buy for Hambleton from Juddmonte, and is rapidly proving his worth – so much so that a Group One assignment is on the horizon.

Watson said: “It was great to see Tempus follow up his Group Three win at Salisbury with a dominant display under a penalty in France. Everything went smoothly and Hollie was very impressed with the way he did it.

Glen Shiel famously gave Doyle her first top-level victory when triumphant on Champions Day in 2020, and Hambleton’s director of racing Simon Turner said: “We’ve clearly got another smart horse on our hands in Tempus and his owners are living the dream.

“In just 12 months he’s progressed from being a cheap horse into a genuine Group performer and I think one or two of his owners are pinching themselves to check they’re not dreaming! It’s very exciting for us to competing at such a level again.”