towards rear, ridden over 2f out, headway over 1f out, kept on same pace final furlong
prominent, ridden 2f out, weakened inside final furlong
chased leaders to halfway
led, ridden and headed over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
slowly away, soon chasing leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out
in touch, ridden over 2f out, ran on well towards finish
chased leaders, ridden to lead over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, kept on
prominent, weakened from halfway
in touch, ridden 2f out, kept on one pace, no impression final furlong
held up towards rear, ridden 2f out, headway over 1f out, kept on to lead inside final furlong
slowly away, behind, never a factor
There was no fluke about the York win of Distinctly Game and he is selected to follow up; possibly at the main expense of Straffan and Baymist, who can pose plenty of problems for them all if they are in the mood to do so. The return to Haydock may also be a boost for Make Us Flush, who has already won here twice and there are no doubts about him handling the ground as he seems to act well when there is a little give underfoot. Apologies is another previous course and distance winner that will also like the conditions and he is no forlorn hope to bounce back after a couple of below par efforts. Nevertheless, like a few of the rest, he has improvement to find and looks opposable on balance. Straffan has done well in low-grade contests and starts his handicap career on a fair looking mark in the context of this race. He already holds Alsu on previous form and can again hit the frame today. Similar comments apply to Baymist, who drops to a more appropriate trip after failing to see out the sixth furlong of the stiff finish at Hamilton last time. This course will be more to his liking and he can go close. However, Distinctly Game has lived up to his name in previous outings and, as a few winners have come out of his Knavesmire run, he has an ideal opportunity to confirm the worth of the adage about top weights in Nurseries in this company.
