Nicholls’ Filly Maw Lam Impresses in Queen Mary Stakes
In a thrilling display at Royal Ascot, Adrian Nicholls’ filly Maw Lam, sent off at 50-1, delivered a strong performance to finish third in the prestigious Queen Mary Stakes. The daughter of Acclamation, ridden by Hollie Doyle, narrowly missed challenging the impressive winner Leovanni, leaving Nicholls confident about her future prospects.
“We’ve got a few options going forward,” Nicholls said. “She’ll probably get put in the second stage of the Prix Robert Papin, and the Cherry Hinton could be on the cards as well. Any five or six-furlong race from Listed upwards will be in the mix, and I’ll have to talk to Chris Hirst (owner) about it.”
Nicholls believes Maw Lam’s ability to finish strongly suggests she may be better suited to six-furlong races, despite her impressive performances over the shorter distance.
“She ran a really good race and she is obviously a very talented filly, but there isn’t a very good programme after Ascot for five-furlong two-year-olds, so we might have to step her up to six – I think she’ll stay though,” he explained.
The trainer is considering several options for the filly, including the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, though he acknowledged the track’s speed-oriented nature may not play to her strengths.
“The Molecomb is an option, but with Goodwood being speed orientated, it might take her off her feet,” Nicholls said.
Nicholls believes Maw Lam is the best juvenile he has had in his stable, surpassing the likes of Mamba Wamba and Mo Celita.
“I think she’s the best juvenile we’ve had, the good horses we’ve had have developed later on,” he noted. “She could have been second at Ascot, with a bit of luck she’d have won the Hilary Needler, so she’s going the right way.”
With several promising options on the table, racing enthusiasts will be eagerly anticipating Maw Lam’s next outing as Nicholls looks to capitalize on her impressive debut performance at Royal Ascot.
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