Lee Aims for More Ascot Glory with Al Qareem and Korker

Clifford Lee is on the hunt for more big-race success at Ascot this Saturday after clinching victories in the Ayr Gold Cup and the Cambridgeshire in consecutive weekends.

Lee made a winning choice with Lethal Levi from his boss Karl Burke’s first three runners in Scotland, and he followed up with a brilliant ride on the top-weight Liberty Lane at Newmarket last Saturday.

Now, he’s turning his attention to Al Qareem, his hopeful contender in the BetMGM Cumberland Lodge Stakes, where he faces off against familiar rival Al Aasy.

"He’s a lovely horse who has won at Ascot before, and he clearly enjoys that track," Lee told Sky Sports Racing. "He ran well last time out, and I’m hopeful the ground will be a bit softer this time, which should suit him. He’s very strong-minded and incredibly game. He travels beautifully during a race, and he always puts in maximum effort."

Lee and Burke will also team up with Korker, who finished third at Ayr, in the Group Three John Guest Racing Bengough Stakes. 

"Korker is a bit quirky, but he ran a fantastic race at Ayr last time. He wasn’t at his best the time before, but he seems to be coming into form. If everything goes right, he has the potential to put in a strong performance."

Lee is also looking forward to riding Imperial Sovereign in Friday’s BetMGM Noel Murless Stakes and Beautiful Diamond, who is set to drop down in class for the Listed Rous Stakes.

"Imperial has been working exceptionally well at home. I spoke to the lad who rides him recently, and he mentioned that he’s in tremendous form, so I’m hopeful he’ll have a big chance," Lee added.

"Beautiful Diamond has won a Listed race and is essentially a Listed-class horse, so I expect her to run a solid race as well. Fingers crossed that our good run continues. This year has been fantastic, with plenty of our horses performing well on big days, and their successes bring a lot of joy to everyone involved."