AL SET TO GO ONE BETTER

John Anthony offers the latest clock information on new season Flat stars

- John Anthony

AL QAREEM showed he's as good as ever at the age of seven with a battling success in Listed company at Musselburgh on April 4. His figure of 105 reflects the penalty he was giving his rivals. We have seen before that this 1m6f is his ideal trip and two miles is probably too far. It seems a long time until October but he's won the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot for the past three seasons and, on this evidence, has every chance of making it four in a row.

MOUNT ATLAS clocked a 99 when second to Al Qareem with a long gap back to the third horse home. He has always come up just short out of handicap level but maybe at five he can make the breakthrough for Andrew Balding.