'You'd be hopeful he could step up' - Group races next for Royal Ascot hero Crystal Black as connections ponder Australia trip

Royal Ascot winner Crystal Black could step up to Group company in next month's Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown before connections consider a trip to Australia.

The Ger Keane-trained six-year-old, who stormed to victory in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes last month, has been a revelation in handicaps since scoring at the Curragh over a mile off a mark of 77 last August.

He has landed four of his subsequent five starts, including a premier handicap at the Curragh in September, and stayed on powerfully on his first effort over a mile and a half at Ascot when defeating Epic Poet by two and a quarter lengths under the trainer's son Colin.