in touch, ridden after 6th, weakened after 3 out
held up towards rear, ridden 6th, soon weakened.
chased leader, ridden approaching 3 out, soon weakened, pulled up approaching 2 out.
made all, clear after 6th, quicken bend approaching 2 out, eased from last
held up towards rear, ridden 6th, soon behind
mid-division, ridden 6th, chased winner 3 out, stayed on same pace from 2 out
mid-division, ridden and headway to chase winner approaching 3 out, weakened and jumped right from 2 out
mid-division, mistake 1st, jumped slowly and lost place 2nd, soon tailed off, pulled up after 5th
held up last, reminder 4th, ridden after 6th, stayed on to go 2nd from 2 out but no chance with winner
prominent, reminder approaching 4th, weakened 6th, pulled up approaching 2 out
The three that catch the eye here are Trigger Guard, Water Pistol and Millquista d'Or, with the vote going to Trigger Guard. The Gary Moore-trained selection was only beaten two lengths when fourth on his debut over course and distance and, much as he was half-a-length behind Millquista d'Or on that occasion, we reckon the experience gained there might help him reverse the form today. However, there might not be much between the pair again. From the Amanda Perrett stable, Water Pistol showed improvement on the Flat as he was stepped up in trip and he looks a likely contender here. Palace Walk is well-bred but has so far shown little but maybe hurdles will spark something different, while Snow Tempest has a similar profile but blinkers will also need to bring some improvement from him for us to be confident about his chances. Finally, Tiffin Deano was one of the better of these on the Flat, achieving a rating of 62, and he is respected, but the vote stays with Trigger Guard.
Josear 16-1 (10-12) Chased leader, virtually refused and lost place 2nd, never in contention after, 8th of 12, 32l behind Toss The Caber (10-12) at Plumpton 2m 3yo nov hdl (D) gf.
Palace Walk (FR) 11-2 (8-11) Chased leaders, ridden and weakened 3f out, 7th of 11, 22l behind Speagle (9-0) at Lingfield 1m 4f 3yo mdn (D3) pol in Feb (Flat).
Smart Tiger (GER) (8-11) won at Munich 1m 2f stk gd in Jul beating Adios Amigos (8-11) by a hd, 7 ran (Flat).
Snow Tempest (USA) 4-1 (10-11) In touch, hampered 5th, ridden to chase leaders after 3 out, no impression approaching next, 4th of 12, 21l behind Wembury Point (10-11) at Sedgefield 2m 1f 3yo nov hdl (E) gf in Aug.
Trigger Guard 9-2 (10-12) Mid-division, headway 3 out to join leaders, slow jump and lost place, progress to lead and mistake last, headed soon after, 4th of 9, 2l behind Wembury Point (11-5) at Fontwell 2m 2f 3yo nov hdl (E) gf.
Water Pistol 25-1 (8-9) Mid-division, ridden over 2f out, kept on, 6th of 15, 4 1/2l behind Key Time (8-9) at Goodwood 2m 3yo mdn hcp (5) gd in Aug (Flat).
Millquista d'Or 14-1 (10-5) Help up towards rear, ridden and outpaced 5th, stayed on from 3 out, every chance last, no extra close home, 3rd of 9, 2l behind Wembury Point (11-5) at Fontwell 2m 2f 3yo nov hdl (E) gf.
Mount Arafat 66-1 (10-9) Led until went badly left and unseated rider in race won by Gortumblo (10-12) at N Abbot 2m 1f 3yo nov hdl (E) gf in Aug, 9 ran.
