Queen Mary Stakes Fillies' Group 2 | Class 1 | 2YO only Winner £85,065 - 36 entered to run  Last year’s race Winner: Crimson Advocate Jockey: John Velazquez Trainer: George Weaver Owner: R A Hill/Swinbank/Black Ridge Age: 2 Weight: 9st 2lbs Starting Price: 9/1 Season Form Figures: 31 Previous Best: 1st - Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes (2YO), Gulfstream (May 2023) By Paul Jones The Queen Mary usually attracts a big field and being drawn high (stands’ side) certainly hasn’t been a negative with ten of the last 11 winners drawn in double figures after Crimson Advocate won from the highest stall of all last year (28). The outlier was another American-trained winner, Campanelle, who won from stall 1. That’s now five successes for the Americans going back to 2009 with Wesley Ward having saddled the other four (Lady Aurelia and Acapulco by wide margins) and he has also had three runners-up to boot. Entering the race unbeaten or otherwise is neither here nor there but what is usually crucial is our selection won last time out as has been the case for 20 of the last 23 winners. Up until 2006 it was a case of follow the unbeaten fillies as six on the spin had proven successful but 11 of the subsequent 18 winners had tasted defeat earlier in the season. Surprisingly, Aidan O’Brien has never won the Queen Mary. Of the British stables, the north have fared well with six winners this century, the latest when Dramatised won for Karl Burke in 2022, one of four successful favourites in the last decade. Mark Johnston (x2), Tim Easterby, Tom Dascombe and John Quinn have also registered successes for the north. Of the southern yards, the Hannon stable have won five Queen Mary’s between father and son and Mick Channon’s record with juveniles at Royal Ascot passed the closest scrutiny and he has won the Queen Mary with Bint Allayl (1998), Queen's Logic (2001) and Flashy Wings (2005) and all three went on to win the Lowther Stakes and end up the season's champion two-year-old filly. In fact, the stable’s 15 runners have produced three winners a second, third, fourth and two fifths so any Jack Channon-trained contenders should be noted. The Marygate Stakes at York’s Dante Meeting has been the best pointer with Gilded (2006), Ceiling Kitty (2012) and Signora Cabello (at 25/1 in 2019) completing the double. In addition, Langs Lash was r/u at York in 2008 before winning the Queen Mary plus two more Marygate winners finished second and third in between and Tiggy Wiggy was runner-up in both races. This season’s running was won by the Eve Johnson-Houghton-trained and Georgia Dobie-ridden Betty Clover, beating Miss Lamai by half a length. This 5f sprint is a test for real speedsters so it is with little surprise that sires known for passing on their sprinting genes that have fared much the best. The last 17 winners were sired by stallions with a Sire Index of between 6f and 8f. Positives Trained in America (notably by Wesley Ward)  Trained by Richard Hannon or Jack Channon  Drawn in a double-figure stall  Ran well in the Marygate Stakes  The favourite  Negatives Beaten last time out  Not sired by a stallion with a Sire Index of between 6f-8f  Trained by Aidan O’Brien