held up, headway on outside over 3f out, ridden to go 2nd over 1f out, kept on final furlong, no chance with winner
mid-division, pushed along 4f out, weakened over 2f out, soon eased
tracked leaders, left 2nd 4f out, led 2f out, ridden clear final furlong
led, headed 2f out, soon ridden, lost place over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
mid-division, headway 3f out, ridden, effort over 1f out, kept on same pace final furlong
held up in rear, headway over 2f out, ridden, effort on inside over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
tracking leader when pulled up 4f out, dismounted
A good race in prospect here and it may well be that BAB AL SALAM has not yet finished winning, while Rock Ascot could prove his toughest opponent. The Saeed Bin Suroor-trained selection won three handicaps off the reel in August and September, going up just over a stone in the process. He has handled Lingfield's Polytrack when scoring there on a couple of occasions, so he should be fine here, in a race which on paper looks a fair bit easier than his Newmarket flop last time. We will give him another chance. Rock Ascot benefited from first-time blinkers at Lingfield when scoring over a mile last time, and on that evidence this return to 10f looks a positive, although whether the headgear will be as effective is unclear. Mafeking has been admirably consistent of late, meaning that he is going up in the weights for not winning, and as a result of another 3lb rise for today we think his best chance is in making the frame again. Elna Bright has won from a higher mark than this in the past and should be competitive, especially as he handles this surface well, while Coeur De Lionne looks very well handicapped on some old form, but this trip may be on the sharp side for him. The maths suggest that Sohcahtoa can get very competitive in this company, but preference today is for Bab Al Salam.
Waldvogel (IRE) 16-1 (9-8) Held up in last pair, headway on inside over 2f out, switched right to challenge on inside over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 6th of 11, 7l behind Record Breaker (9-6) at Ascot 1m 4f hcp 105 (2) gf in Sep.
Rock Ascot (URU) 20-1 (9-0) Keen early, close up, pushed along 3f out, headway between horses 2f out, chased leader entering final 1f, driven and stayed on to lead towards finish, won at Lingfield 1m hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Oct beating Sarah Park (8-13) by nk, 12 ran.
Bab Al Salam (USA) 11-8 (9-2) Chased leader 1f, settled in 3rd, led over 2f out, soon headed, weakened inside final furlong, eased, last of 3, 14l behind Alainmaar (9-4) at Newmarket 1m 2f 3yo hcp 0-100 (2) gf in Oct.
Sohcahtoa (IRE) 16-1 (8-10) In touch, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened, beaten and eased 1f out, last of 12, well behind Rainbow Peak (9-5) at Newbury 1m 2f hcp 0-100 (2) sft in Oct.
Coeur de Lionne (IRE) 9-2 (9-10) Prominent, ridden 2f out, not much room when beaten 1f out, last of 7, 6l behind Sweet Hollow (8-12) at Newbury 1m 4f hcp 0-85 (4) gf in Sep.
Elna Bright 7-1 (9-5) Behind, struggling 4f out, never dangerous, 9th of 10, 18l behind Kaleo (8-7) at Epsom Downs 1m 2f hcp 0-95 (3) gf in Oct.
Mafeking (UAE) 14-1 (9-9) Led after 1f driven clear over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, headed near finish, 2nd of 14, nk behind Poyle Meg (8-7) at Kempton 1m 2f hcp 0-80 (4) pol in Oct.
