3 minute read
Al Kazeem returned to winning ways in the 188Bet Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor.
Sent off the 8-11 favourite for this Group Three assignment, he was settled nicely by George Baker as Complicit raced very keenly at the head of affairs under Chris Catlin, but the field bunched as the pace slowed markedly around half a mile out.
True Story joined issue at the head of affairs with two furlongs to run and as Baker got to work on the market leader in covering the move, the front two settled down to fight it out from the furlong pole. Roger Charlton's runner prevailed by half a length, conceding 8lb to the runner-up.
Al Kazeem, three times a Group One winner last season, returned to the racecourse after proving sub-fertile at stud and made his long-awaited comeback in a Listed race at Newbury last month. He finished a close fourth to Amralah, who has gone on to win since.
Charlton told At The Races: "It was a relief, I have to admit. When you have a horse who has been as good as him it would have been disappointing to see a horse beaten twice in lesser races, if you like.
"His owner has been incredibly patient and it has been a long haul back.
"But he's such a willing, happy horse. George said he was always going to win. He was just doing enough to win and he said he felt brilliant, that he moved brilliant. He winged round the bend like a motor bike.
"Where we go, how high he gets, I don't know really. I'd say that's a few lengths up on what he achieved at Newbury and we need to find that again to feature in the better races. We'll have to look at the programme book a bit.
"I don't think Leopardstown (Irish Champion Stakes) last year really suited the horse, no disrespect to The Fugue, who beat us fair and square.
"I would be pretty certain that unless the owner says we are going to the Irish Champion Stakes that he will avoid that, and we'll see what comes up. Ascot is a great track and the Qipco Champion is a fantastic race, that could be his target. We'll see what Mr (John) Deer wants to do."