2025 The Queens Cup Preview

The Queen’s Cup 15:35 Musselburgh

The Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh Racecourse is a standout fixture in Scotland’s flat racing
season, It headlines the Virgin Bet Easter Saturday Raceday. This Class 2 Heritage Handicap is
run over 1 mile, 5 furlongs, and 216 yards on turf. Open to horses aged four and up, the race
offers a total prize fund of £100,000, with £51,540 going to the winner.
With 14 runners scheduled to go to post, we’ve looked at the key stats and trends to help find the
winner.

Weight
As a staying handicap, weight is naturally a key factor. Surprisingly, this race tends to favour
horses higher in the handicap. Seven of the last eight winners carried 8st 11lb or more to
victory—the only exception being Jonny Delta, who won off 8st 5lb in 2014.
As a result, Lieber Power, Loughville, La Pulga, Faylaq, Emiyn, and Struth are ruled out.

Ratings
Five of the last six winners had official ratings (OR) between 94 and 101. That trend rules out
Laafy, Intinso, Aimeric, and last year’s winner Wise Eagle.

Race Preview and Selection

Having narrowed the field down to four contenders, the selection process becomes a little clearer.

KIHAVAH
Last seen on the flat in September 2024, Kihavah comfortably won a 1m5f Class 3 handicap on
good-to-firm ground—a performance that has since been franked. He had the re-opposing La
Pulga well behind that day and should confirm superiority again.
He has since tested himself over hurdles in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth at Newcastle behind Sir
Gino and shaped well on reappearance in the Grade 2 Scottish Champion Hurdle. With fitness
now on his side, he looks a major danger.

CHILLINGHAM
Winless since 2023, his last success came on soft ground over 1m4f at Thirsk—a race that has
worked out fairly well, with La Pulga and Emiyn behind him. This will be just his fourth attempt
over this trip, and he’s been well beaten in the previous three.
However, he did run a close second to Prydwen at Wolverhampton off a 2lb higher mark. There’s
a suspicion he needs softer ground to be at his best. The addition of cheekpieces needs to bring
improvement if he’s to be considered for win purposes.

WILD WAVES
Brings some solid form, notably finishing sixth in last year’s St Leger. While well beaten that
day, this is clearly a much easier assignment. That said, the handicapper has raised him 5lb, and
his last win came off a mark 15lb lower, when beating the useful East India Dock last June.
Now returning to handicap company, he looks a little too highly rated for my liking, and I’ll be
taking him on as favourite.

ALIGN THE STARS – Selection
Plenty of positives here. He was last seen just 10 days ago finishing a close third—beaten less
than a length—by the useful Al Qareem in a Listed race at Nottingham over this trip.
He was highly tried at the end of last season in Group company, where he was simply outclassed,
but he thrived in handicaps prior winning three valuable events. The latest came at Goodwood
over this distance on fast ground off a mark of 99.
That took his record to two wins from three attempts at this trip. He’s 1lb well in today, and for a
front-runner, he’s ideally drawn in stall 12. With a recent run under his belt and conditions to suit,
dropping back into handicap company for the first time since August, he looks to have a big
chance.

ALIGN THE STARS 1PT WIN 5/1