Mick Channon has Royal Ascot aspirations for debut scorer

Mick Channon would not be scared of plunging Certain Lad in at the deep end at Royal Ascot after his impressive debut win at Redcar.

Heavily backed – he was available at 7-1 early before being sent off the 11-4 second favourite – Certain Lad showed his rivals a clean pair of heels in the six-furlong Racing UK-sponsored Novice Stakes.

A half-brother to Archie Watson’s useful stayer Brandon Castle, the son of Clodovil ran out a near four-length winner under Ben Curtis from the 2-1 favourite Big Ace.

In providing Channon with a ninth juvenile winner of the year he took his strike-rate in such races to over 30 per cent.

“We thought he was OK and he’d been working well with most of the two-year-olds,” Channon told Press Association Sport.

“It’s the colts, in particular, that are very good this year. I’ve never had a batch like this, I usually have good fillies.

“None of them have cost much, which is the good thing. He was 13,000 guineas, and we’ve got a few home-breds as well.

“We’d been waiting for the six-furlong races for him. Looking at his pedigree he’ll get further and I know his family well. I trained his dam, Chelsey Jayne. She was one of the few Galileos I’ve trained.

“She had a fractured jaw and never grew – she was a pony. She never grew but she was sharp enough.

“We’ll have a look at Ascot obviously. The only race that would be for him is the Coventry.

“It’s whether we go there or wait for the July Stakes at Newmarket. I’ll talk to his owner (Chris Hirst) but you know me, I’d give it a go.”