Quddwah puts Queen Anne case with smooth return in Paris

South Wales Guardian

22-05-2025

Haatem who was sent off the short-priced favourite for the Listed contest off the back of some top-class form last year. He was expected to improve for his comeback run at Sandown and with Quddwah making his seasonal reappearance he looked to face a stiff task.
However, he also possessed some smart form and having won his first four races, he only lost his unbeaten record when a fine fourth to Charyn in the Prix Jacques le Marois.
Fifth behind that same rival on Champions Day at Ascot, he was allowed to dictate his own pace under Callum Shepherd, stacking his rivals up early in the straight before kicking on for a one-and-three-quarter-length win.
Simon Crisford said: 'We were delighted with him today, he wasn't quite ready to start back in the Lockinge so we opted to go to Paris with him and he acquitted himself with great credit.
'We'll consider the Queen Anne for his next race, he goes well at Ascot and we were delighted with his comeback run.
'He ran well in the Jacques le Marois last year, he's got form on the round course and the straight course at Ascot, but that straight course does suit him well and today puts him in contention for a win in the Queen Anne.'
Coral cut the winner to 16-1 from 20s for the Queen Anne and Ed Crisford added: 'It was a deep Listed race, but a perfect starting point for him and he did it nicely.
'I think he'll come on for the race and hopefully go on to better things now.
'We'll see how he is, talk to his owner Sheikh Ahmed, but potentially he should fit into the Queen Anne nicely.
'When you see how well he ran in the Jacques le Marois, and he didn't run badly on Champions Day he was just a bit far out of his ground, he doesn't have much to find.
'He's another year older and you'd hope there's still a bit more to come as he's lightly raced.'