AQWAAM can win the Virgin Bet Queen’s Prize Handicap (London Stayers’ Series Qualifier) (3.15pm) at Kempton Park on Saturday afternoon.
Ian Williams’ six-year-old can follow up his recent victory in the BetUK All-Weather Vase Marathon Handicap on the All-Weather Championship finals card at Lingfield on Good Friday with another at Kempton. Under Oisin Orr, Aqwaam travelled superbly throughout that two-mile contest, led inside the final furlong and looked like he had more in hand than the length-and-a-half he was ahead of runner-up Diamond Bay that day. He had been second twice at Wolverhampton before that and although he is on career-high mark and even though he has been around the block, he appears to be improving.
He is in the form of his life with three wins and four second-placed finishes in his past nine starts since stepping up in trips from 1m6f to two miles on the all-weather tracks. Aqwaam can land another success before potentially returning to Turf, where he hasn’t won since scoring at the Galway Festival in July 2022. James Owen’s Sweet Fantasy and the Harry Charlton-trained Sleeping Lion are others who could go well and rate the biggest dangers to Aqwaam.
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James Ferguson’s MOTHER MARY – set to be ridden by Liverpool jockey Franny Norton – may cause an upset in the Listed Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Snowdrop Fillies’ Stakes (2.05pm). The four-year-old daughter of Zoffany won once in four starts last season, taking her maiden in good style at Salisbury over seven furlongs in July of last year. She finished second to Nibras Angel at Thirsk and also third to Global Spirit in a mile handicap at Pontefract on her most recent run last October. She steps up into
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