Al Qareem

The numbers are remarkable enough on their own. At distances of a mile and three furlongs to a mile and four, Al Qareem has won 5 of just 6 races — a hit rate that would be extraordinary at any level, let alone competing mostly against the best horses in the country. On wet ground, his record is perfect: 3 wins from 3. On slightly soft going, it is 3 from 5. In other words, when the ground gets testing and the distances stretch out, this horse becomes almost unbeatable. Jockey Clifford Lee, who has ridden him in 22 of his races and won 9 of them together, describes him with genuine affection: Al Qareem goes from the front, sets a relentless gallop, and simply dares his rivals to keep up. They usually cannot.

Ascot has become something of a second home — three wins from five visits, including top-level victories in October 2024 and October 2025. York has been kind too, with two Class 1 wins in the summer of 2025 within a month of each other. It is the profile of a horse who saves his best for the biggest occasions rather than wilting under pressure. He opened his 2026 season with a win at Musselburgh in April, and trainer Karl Burke was candid enough to admit that Al Qareem had not even worked brilliantly at home beforehand — which makes the win all the more telling.

Burke's yard at Coverham in North Yorkshire has sent out 140 winners this season alone, so Al Qareem is operating at the sharp end of a very productive operation. The Ormonde Stakes at Chester looks the likely next target — a top-level race over a mile and a half that plays perfectly to everything this horse does well: a stiff test, a proper gallop, and hopefully a bit of rain. If the ground comes up soft at Chester, anyone who has watched Al Qareem before will know exactly what is coming.