close up, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
in touch, stumbled after 1f, ridden over 2f out, one pace and no impression final furlong
outpaced in rear, ridden over 2f out, stayed on final furlong, no impression
chasesd leaders, weakening when not much room 2f out
behind, ridden over 3f out, never dangerous
behind, ridden over 2f out, headway over 1f out, stayed on final furlong
led, ridden and headed over 2f out, hard ridden over 1f out, rallied to lead well inside final furlong, ran on
chased leaders, stumbled after 1f out, led over 2f out, ridden and under pressure over 1f out, headed well inside final furlong, no extra
chased leaders, weakened over 2f out
prominent, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened
Races like this have a habit of throwing up surprise results, so with that in mind, a chance is taken with Hits Only Jude, who has bits and pieces of form that give him solid claims in this company. High Curragh, Ochre Bay and Namid Reprobate are others to seriously consider as cover options. Namid Reprobate ran on strongly when winning his maiden at Windsor last month and has to be respected in this company. He is better off at the weights with Ochre Bay from their last encounter and, with proven form over the trip, he can go close again here. High Curragh ran better than his finishing position would suggest when he sixth in a strongly run nursery at Newmarket eighteen days ago. However, off a mark of 83, the handicapper has not taken a chance with him and he faces no easy task on these terms. Therefore, it can be worth a small investment in Hits Only Jude, whose third to Amadeus Wolf now reads exceptionally well in the context of this race. Admittedly he has a bit of improvement to find, but he can represent good each way value in what is a very tricky race to fathom.
High Curragh 7-2fav (8-11) Tracked leader, led 2f out, soon headed and hung left, kept on same pace, 6th of 12, 2l behind Erytheis (8-8) at Newmarket 6f 2yo hcp 0-95 (4) gs in Oct.
Smart Cassie 10-1 (9-0) Mid-division, driven and headway over 1f out, stayed on final furlong, 3rd of 10, 5l behind Give Me The Night (8-13) at Catterick 5f nov stk (5) gd in Oct.
Charlie Delta 8-1 (8-11) Behind, ridden over 2f out, stayed on final furlong, never on terms, 8th of 18, 9l behind Manston (9-1) at York 6f 2yo hcp (3) gd in Oct.
Ochre Bay 16-1 (9-0) Hampered at start and towards rear, driven and switched left over 1f out, ran on to lead well inside final furlong, kept on, won at Nottingham 5f 2yo mdn (4) gd in Oct beating Trophy Pride (8-9) by 1l, 11 ran.
Squadron Leader (IRE) 5-4fav (9-0) Chased leaders, ridden and outpaced halfway, soon beaten, 7th of 15, 5l behind Blue Aura (9-0) at Windsor 6f 2yo mdn (5) gd in Oct.
Namid Reprobate (IRE) 10-1 (9-0) Soon tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, ran on to lead inside final furlong, held on well, all out, won at Windsor 6f 2yo mdn (5) gd in Oct beating Danawi (9-0) by a hd, 16 ran.
Greek Secret 33-1 (8-10) Chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 10th of 17, 18l behind Il Castagno (8-4) at Catterick 7f 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) gd in Oct.
Trombone Tom 9-2 (9-0) Tracked leader, led over 3f out, ridden and edged left over 1f out when headed, no extra final furlong, 3rd of 5, 4 1/2l behind Sand Cat (9-5) at Beverley 5f nov stk (4) gd in Jul.
