Qawaasem can prove a real gem

QAWAASEM HAS all the hallmarks of a potentially smart filly and can demonstrate her ability in Sandown’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF Star Stakes.

The daughter of Shamardal shaped with huge promise on her racecourse debut at Headquarters at the end of June, despite showing signs of inexperience from start to finish.

The Charlie Hills-trained filly was awkward leaving the stalls, ran green in the early stages and even in the final furlong, so it is down to her raw talent that she managed to finish third, beaten just three lengths.

It was clear she had derived plenty of improvement from the experience as she went a couple of places better in what is a traditionally informative maiden last time, after which her trainer identified this race as the next port of call.

This will, of course, be much tougher as she tests her powers at a higher level but with further progress likely, she is fancied to make her presence felt.

Godolphin’s hat-trick seeker SADIQ gets the vote over Ducab in the Weatherbys VAT Returns Service Handicap.

The three-year-old fared well when fourth on his sole juvenile appearance at Nottingham and his comeback third at Sandown was similarly promising.

He made it third-time lucky at Brighton in early July and then returned to the seaside venue to make a mockery of his initial handicap mark of 77, beating an odds-on favourite by 11 lengths.

It is no surprise to see him turned out quickly and in present mood, a 6lb penalty may not be enough to stop him.

Sadiq’s trainer Saeed bin Suroor is also likely to be among the winners at Bath, where course-and-distance winner BLUE MOOD returns to the track for the British Stallion Studs/Akzonobel EBF Novice Stakes.

What the daughter of Invincible Spirit actually achieved when striking by six lengths on her debut here is questionable, but the fact she was favourite suggests she had been showing something at home and she did all that was asked of her when it came to the crunch.