ROARING Lion was very good in winning the Juddmonte International at York on Wednesday and Oisin Murphy was very good on him.

Of course, it helps (a) when you have the best horse in the race and (b) when the cards fall your way. On the run around the home turn, John Gosden’s horse was on the inside, fifth of the eight runners, travelling well. Favourite Poet’s Word was just in front of him and towards his outside.

Then Christophe Soumillon on the leader Thunder Snow took the field across the track and towards the stands’ rail and the complexion of the race changed.

They usually race up the centre these days in the home straight at York when they race over middle-distances. That usually fans the field out and gives every horse a chance. But there was muffled talk of a possible golden highway along the stands’ rail at York early on Wednesday afternoon. The winner of the opening sprint handicap had come up the stands’ rail. The winner of the Acomb Stakes had come up the stands’ side. And Christophe Soumillon is not one to shirk a golden highway if there is a chance that it exists.

The net result of Soumillon’s move was that the whole field converged along the stands’ rail. It left favourite Poet’s Word in traffic along the rail, in behind horses, and it left his main market rival Roaring Lion in prime position, coasting up on the outside of the field.

Oisin Murphy had daylight and options. He had a hold of his horse and space in front of him. The only decision he had to make was when he would use it.

He bided his time, left James Doyle on Poet’s Word struggle to find racing room for a little while. Murphy allowed his horse move up smoothly on the outside of new leader Benbatl at the two-furlong marker, conserving energy, and he sat, happy that he had the measure of the horse on his right and happy that the favourite was behind him, using up his energy reserves.

It wasn’t until after he had allowed his horse ease to the front, about a neck up and the furlong marker was fast approaching, that Murphy asked his horse to lengthen. Roaring Lion picked up nicely, moved towards the stands’ rail and bounded away, putting more than three lengths between himself and Poet’s Word, who kept on bravely to take second place.

There is no doubt that the race did not pan out ideally for Poet’s Word but there is also little doubt that the result would not have been different if it had.

Poet’s Word was officially rated 8lbs superior to Roaring Lion going into Wednesday’s race. So did Poet’s Word under-perform or did Roaring Lion improve? Probably a little bit of the former and a lot of the latter.

Poet’s Word had a hard race in winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and Sir Michael Stoute’s horse had an even harder race in winning the King George back at Ascot in July. He had to dig deep to catch his stable companion Crystal Ocean at the end of a stiff and fast-run mile and a half. And he was racing at York for the first time on Wednesday. Not all horses perform up to their best on the Knavesmire.

By contrast, Roaring Lion was proven at York. He won the Dante by four and a half lengths on his only previous run there, over the Juddmonte International course and distance. His upward trajectory continues.

It would have been surprising if the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes had not been on his radar, but, even so, it was good that Gosden mentioned the race as a likely target in post-race dispatches. It will be great to see him at Leopardstown.