Last year's hero Bandinelli bids to give Appleby more Queen's Prize glory

The last two winners of the Queen’s Prize are back for another crack at the race, but Sleeping Lion (2021) and Bandinelli (2022) are both racing off higher marks than they did when victorious.

Bandinelli is the better of the pair, running off just 2lb higher than his success, but he came into the race last year with form figures of 1121 on his last four starts and this season is a different story. His last four runs have yielded underwhelming finishing positions of 0663.

At least Bandinelli’s best recent run was his last. That came when third behind Pons Aelius in the London Stayers’ Series (Final) over course and distance before Christmas and he appears to have been trained specifically for a return to this track, in this race, by Charlie Appleby.

That’s because his win in the event last year came off a 134-day break and Bandinelli has a solid record when fresh. The 115-day absence since his last run should be considered a plus.

Bandinelli was the big improver coming into the race last year, but 12 months on the horse with that profile is Aztec Empire, who appreciated a step up to this trip here in February.

Aztec Empire took his record at this track to 2-2 with that impressive course-and-distance victory and is open to enough improvement as a stayer to cope with a 6lb rise in the weights.

He is by Arc winner Sea The Stars and out of a dam who is by Arc winner Hurricane Run, so there is abundant stamina in Aztec Empire’s pedigree and he could prove a class apart.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

Poulton aiming to ace lucrative Prize

Trainer Camilla Poulton is excited to battle against the might of Godolphin in front of the ITV cameras with Aced It, as she bids to land the biggest contest of her career in the Queen's Prize.

The East Sussex-based handler, who currently has ten horses in training, has had six Flat winners since 2019 and aims to land her second victory of the year with the seven-year-old, who was successful over course and distance in early January.

Aced It finished third to Aztec Empire at the track last month and takes on two previous winners of the race, last year's victor Bandinelli for Charlie Appleby and William Buick, and 2021 hero Sleeping Lion.

"We only have ten in at the moment but we're all set to go for the season. We have a few maidens in the yard and we're really looking forward to the year," Poulton said.

"He's really good and fit to go, and we're hoping for a good run. It's been our plan for a while and while it's a hot little contest, we'll see if he can step up to it. 

"I certainly wouldn't have put him in if I didn't think he could be thereabouts. Now stepping up to two miles, I think he should thrive."

What they say

Harry Charlton, joint-trainer of Sleeping Lion
He's good and has won this race before and seems to run well at Kempton. On his last run there they didn't go a good pace and he didn't run a bad race, he just had to use up a lot of petrol. It was better than the bare result suggested and with another small field there's another concern about that again, but he's in good form.

Jamie Osborne, trainer of Duty Of Care
I think this'll be his toughest assignment yet, but the key to him really has been this trip and he's won his last two starts over course and distance. He's still relatively unexposed, but the opposition in this is a lot stronger. I hope he can take another step forward, but he could still get beaten and show a bit of progression.

Richard Hughes, trainer of Bascule
We're delighted with him. He had a little campaign over hurdles during the winter just to harden him up a bit more ahead of this. We've had this race in mind and it has been the plan for a long time. If he runs like his best at this track before and like last time he was on the all-weather, then it might just be good enough to get him home.
Reporting by Matt Rennie

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