Queen Me team keen to avoid Swingalong rematch

Simon Milham
August 22, 2022 3:19 pm

Bruce Raymond hoping to plot separate courses for Lowther pair.

Connections of York’s Lowther Stakes runner-up Queen Me will explore stepping up in trip for her next start, in a bid to avoid locking horns with the winner, Swingalong.

The Kevin Ryan-trained Queen Me went down by a neck in the Group Two contest, narrowly failing to emulate her dam (Queen Kindly), granddam (Lady Of The Desert) and great granddam (Queen’s Logic), who had all won the six-furlong dash.

A daughter of Dubawi, she went into the race on the back of a debut maiden victory at Haydock and stayed on well at York against the more experienced Swingalong, who had three previous runs for Karl Burke.

👀 @karl_burke wins the Lowther, but not with Dramatised!
Swingalong causes a surprise in the GBP 267,500 G2 @SkyBet Lowther Stakes for @CliffordleexLee @yorkracecourse | #EborFestival pic.twitter.com/WkxCGcOAYm
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 18, 2022

The winner, owned by Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, is likely to stay at six furlongs for the Group One Cheveley Park at Newmarket, while the Jaber Abdullah-owned runner-up could run over further, according to Bruce Raymond, who is racing manager for the respective owners.

“Queen Me ran a cracker. It was a pity she didn’t win to carry on the family’s legacy,” said Raymond.

“Obviously she will be in all the flashy races, such as the Cheveley Park, but I think she should step up to seven furlongs.

“The winner – who is also under my banner – will probably go for the Cheveley Park and she might be a bit quicker than Queen Me. The runner-up would probably have beaten her if she hadn’t been so green.

“She also has some flashy entries, but seven furlongs would be more in her favour rather than the winner.

Kevin Ryan may step Queen Me up in trip (Tim Goode/PA)

“They are not the same owners, but hopefully I can keep them apart. It would be nice to keep them apart for the company.

“It would be wise to do those things, but the owners don’t care about those things – they like beating each other!”

Dramatised, who had taken the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot in fine style for Burke on her second start, was a disappointing favourite, finishing fifth.

Raymond revealed: “After the race, Karl was saying that jockey Danny Tudhope felt Dramatised wouldn’t stay the six (furlongs). I wish I’d known that before the race!

“He was on the wrong side, but he said he didn’t think she would stay and it was quite obvious she didn’t.

“Ours were fancied, but not fancied to beat that one.

Dramatised did not appear to stay six furlongs at York (Tim Goode/PA)

“We took the winner to Newbury and thought she would win there and William Buick was given the wrong orders, as he was told to hold her up a bit.

“But then she went to Ripon and won there, where she hated the track and still won by six lengths. I thought that was pretty good.

“We always liked Queen Me and thought she was pretty good. You could go to the Rockfel (seven furlongs at Newmarket) with her. It depends what the owner wants to do, she is in all the fancy races, but she won’t run too many times.”