held up in rear, not clear run from 2f out, switched left from over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong
always behind
mid-division, ridden halfway, soon weakened
held up in rear on rail, not clear run from 2f out, switched left over 1f out, soon not clear run again, finished full of running
held up in rear, headway over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, never nearer
held up mid-division, smooth headway 2f out, led going well over 1f out, 2 lengths clear 1f out, hard ridden final furlong to hold on near finish
chased leaders for 3f
pressed leader, ridden and every chance inside final 2f, weakened final furlong
outpaced and always behind
chased leaders, hard ridden 2f out, weakened entering final furlong
soon crossed over from low draw, led in centre, headed over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
held up in rear, pushed along halfway, headway on outside over 1f out, strong run inside final furlong, just held
It will be interesting to see what Baron's Pit achieves on his first outing for 552 days but he is hard to back with any confidence after such a long absence and preference is for Northern Empire, who gets the vote over Green Manalishi. The last mentioned is a capable performer on his day and has slipped to a fair mark. With David Arbuthnot last term but now making his debut for Kevin Ryan, Green Manalishi could be of interest especially if the market speaks in his favour. Merlin's Dancer has gone up 4lbs for his narrow success on the sand last time and may now have too much weight, while Maltese Falcon is much higher in the handicap than when last seen on turf. The Tatling has slipped back to a decent mark but normally needs a run or two to put him spot on and a better bet looks to be the relatively lightly raced Northern Empire who has been given a chance by the handicapper and he gets the vote.
Baron's Pit 20-1 (9-4) Tracked leader, ridden over 2f out, weakening when short of room from over 1f out, soon eased, 10th of 15, 15l behind Le Vie Dei Colori (9-0) at Newmarket 7f Grp 2 (1) gs in Oct '05.
Northern Empire (IRE) 13-8fav (9-1) Held up and keen, effort 1f out, edged right and weakened inside final furlong, 4th of 5, 5l behind Lady Livius (9-0) at Newbury 6f 3yo stk (4) gf in Jun.
Maltese Falcon 2-1 (9-2) Made all, shaken up when pressed approaching final furlong, ridden and always holding rivals, won at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-105 (2) pol beating Ajigolo (8-10) by 1/2l, 4 ran.
Mecca's Mate 22-1 (8-11) Towards rear stand's side group, never dangerous, 10th of 12, 17l behind Rising Shadow (9-5) at Newcastle 6f lst stk (1) gs in Mar.
The Tatling (IRE) 10-1 (9-4) Held up, never dangerous, 10th of 11, 6l behind Mecca's Mate (8-12) at Newmarket 5f hcp 0-110 (2) gs in Oct.
Green Manalishi 14-1 (9-6) Chased leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 10th of 12, 6l behind Woodcote (9-0) at Ascot 5f hcap (2) gs in Oct.
Corridor Creeper (FR) 8-1 (9-2) Led, ridden well over 1f out, headed last 100 yards, kept on one pace, 3rd of 14, 2l behind Dhaular Dhar (8-10) at Catterick 5f hcp 0-100 (2) sft in Oct.
Woodcote (IRE) 11-1 (9-0) Raced alone stands side, made all, shaken up and ran on final furlong, won at Ascot 5f hcap (2) gs in Oct beating Godfrey Street (8-6) by a nk, 12 ran.
The Lord 14-1 (8-8) Slowly into stride, in rear, ridden halfway, ran on near finish, 5th of 7, 2 1/2l behind Merlin's Dancer (9-3) at Lingfield 5f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Mar.
Merlin's Dancer 12-1 (9-3) Taken to post early, made all, driven over 1f out, stayed on well, won at Lingfield 5f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Mar beating Talbot Avenue (8-10) by 3/4l, 7 ran.
Sweet Afton (IRE) 16-1 (8-12) Mid-division, lost place and no impression under pressure from before straight, 12th of 13, 17l behind Modeeroch (8-12) at Tipperary 7f lst fll stk gd in Aug.
River Falcon 10-1 (8-9) In rear, late headway, 7th of 13, 3l behind King Orchisios (8-10) at W'hampton 5f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Oct.
