Stats Guide: Queen Mary Stakes
Last year's race
Winner: Dramatised
Jockey: Daniel Tudhope
Trainer: Karl R Burke
Owner: Clipper Logistics
Age: 2
Weight: 9st 2lbs
Starting Price: 5/2
Season Form Figures: 1
Previous Best: 1st - Class 3 EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes, Newmarket (April 2022)
By Paul Jones
The Queen Mary usually attracts 22+ runners and being drawn high (stands’ side) certainly hasn’t been a negative, with nine of the last 10 winners drawn in double figures. The outlier was Campanelle from stall 1 in 2020.
Entering the race unbeaten or otherwise is neither here nor there, but what is usually crucial is that our selection won last time out, as has been the case for 19 of the last 22 winners. Up until 2006 it was a case of following the unbeaten fillies, as six on the spin had proven successful, but 10 of the subsequent 17 winners had tasted defeat earlier in the season.
Surprisingly, Aidan O’Brien has never won the Queen Mary. On the other hand, Wesley Ward has won it four times and had three runners-up to boot. He looks set to be represented by Ocean Mermaid, who was beaten into second on her only start by Crimson Advocateat Gulfstream. Ward’s last Queen Mary winner was Campanelle, and prior to her success his Scat Daddy-sired Acapulco and Lady Aurelia had turned two of the previous five runnings into one-filly races, winning with such authority off the back of just one previous start. Ward also won it with Jealous Again in 2009.
Of the British stables, the north has fared well with six winners this century, the latest when Dramatised won for Karl Burke last season to become the fourth successful favourite in the last nine years. Mark Johnston (x2), Tim Easterby, Tom Dascombe and John Quinn have also registered successes.
Of the southern yards, the Hannon stable have won five Queen Mary’s in total, while Mick Channon’s record with juveniles at Royal Ascot has passed the closest scrutiny as he has won the Queen Mary with Bint Allayl (1998), Queen's Logic (2001) and Flashy Wings (2005), with all three going on to win the Lowther Stakes and end up that season's champion two-year-old filly. In fact, his last 15 runners have produced three winners, a second, third, fourth and two fifths, so Jack Channon’s contenders should be noted in his first season.
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) all completing the double. In addition, Langs Lash was runner-up 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 Karl Burke-trained Got To Love A Grey, so could he saddle back-to-back Queen Mary winners following Dramatised?
This 5f sprint is a test for real speedsters, so it is with little surprise that sires known for passing on their sprinting genes have fared much the best. The last 16 winners were sired by stallions with a Sire Index of between 6f and 8f.
At a glance summary
Positives:
Trained by Wesley Ward, Jack Channon or Richard Hannon
Drawn in double figures
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