Royal Gladiator continued his strong run of form with a dominant victory at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club on 14 December, taking out the Benchmark 58 over 1400 metres. The son of Jungle Cat notched up the third win of his career and his second success from his past four starts, further underlining a consistent and productive preparation. This campaign has now yielded two wins and a close second placing from five outings, a return that reflects both the gelding’s maturity and his growing reliability.
Settling into his customary role on speed, Royal Gladiator was afforded little peace in front and was taken on mid-race, but jockey Cody Collis was determined to hold the advantage. Despite the pressure, the gelding showed admirable resolve and, when the field straightened, found plenty under Collis’ urging. He quickly put his rivals to the sword, staving off all challengers to score an emphatic win by 2.61 lengths. It was a performance full of authority and one that clearly signalled there are more wins to come.