New Beverley race seen as a good fit for Al Qareem

Al Qareem is on track to fly the flag for Yorkshire in the inaugural running of the Charlie Wood Stakes at Beverley on Saturday.

Trained by Middleham’s Karl Burke and owned by the locally-based Nick Bradley Racing, the six-year-old is a fitting competitor in the mile-and-a-half Listed event which was previously run as the Fred Archer Stakes at Newmarket and now named after his Hull-born contemporary, the 1887 champion jockey Wood.

“I think he will run and I see a couple of them in the race have been declared elsewhere and I think it is a very winnable option for him,” said Nick Bradley.

“It’s a new race with £28,000 to the winner, it’s a Listed race and even with a penalty he’s clear of everything else in the race. Beverley is a front-runner’s track and will suit him so I don’t see too much wrong with the race.”

Al Qareem has been in top form this season, winning at Nottingham in the Further Flight Stakes in April before finishing an honourable second to Aidan O’Brien’s Gold Cup runner-up Illinois at Chester.

He followed that up with a destructive display at York when handing Willie Mullins’ Absurde a four-and-a-half length beating in the Listed Grand Cup, and a return to the Knavesmire for the John Smith’s Silver Cup is available as an option if connections make a late defection from Beverley.

“The alternative is York the following race and he’ll run in one of the two, but I think I’m favouring Beverley.” continued Bradley.

“He did well last time and Clifford (Lee, jockey) gave him a brilliant ride that day, he got the second horse (Absurde) keen and we got lucky that a few behind didn’t really show up.

“I thought it was a career best but I’m not sure the horse is particularly getting really better, we’re just managing him better and placing him better. We know him more now.”