led early, soon held up towards rear, headway over 2f out, edged left well over 1f out, no further progress
held up in rear, struggling 3f out, soon well beaten, eased final 2f
prominent, pushed along over 3f out, ridden over 1f out, stayed on under pressure inside final furlong
slowly into stride, quickly recovered to lead, ridden over 2f out, headed inside final furlong, kept on same pace
prominent, pushed along 3f out, ridden inside final 2f, weakened final furlong
slowly into stride, mid-division, pushed along and lost place over 3f out, well beaten over 1f out
chased leaders, pushed along halfway, lost place over 2f out, soon weakened
mid-division, pushed along and headway on outside over 2f out, led inside final furlong, ridden out
took keen hold in mid-division, headway under pressure over 2f out, pressing leaders over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
in rear, headway over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong, nearest finish
held up towards rear, pushed along 3f out, well beaten over 1f out
Nonrunner
It doesn't get any easier for punters with another fantastic handicap; woven into the tricky puzzle could be another win for LAKEMAN despite reservations over this quicker ground. Brian Ellison is well-represented here but this three-year-old creeps in at the bottom of the weights and the absence of Tom Eaves in the saddle may be down to the weight that needs to be done along with being required to ride for Brian Smart. This son of Tillerman got his act together at Musselburgh last time in fine style and there is hope to be gleaned from his Newcastle run in June that this quicker ground can be coped with. Stablemate Daaweitza won well here last time out but that looked just a modest race and this is much tougher, so a bigger threat may be Ansells Pride who continues to tumble down the weights. Celtic Change is having a good season but may now be high enough in the handicap. He had no answers to Chapter And Verse at Ripon last time and Barry Hill's gelding doesn't look harshly treated with a 3lb rise in the weights. Just Bond holds Reel Buddy Star on their run here in August, whilst Grand Passion tries this trip for the first time in ages and is dangerously well-treated despite being a shadow of his former self. Kloof ran his best race to date last time and is getting the hang of things, whilst Collateral Damage romped home last time out and is officially ahead of the handicapper. He is held by Chapter And Verse et al on the Ripon run but it might not be wise to read that too literally, especially if the ground softens. The market needs watching for the returning top-weight Spirit Of A Nation as the stable tend to know what they have, however we will tentatively return to Lakeman in the hope that some rain arrives.
Just Bond (IRE) 12-1 (9-5) Held up, smooth headway to lead approaching final furlong, stayed on well inside final furlong, won at Redcar 1m hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Aug beating Observatory Star (9-2) by 1/2l, 9 ran.
Grand Passion (IRE) 50-1 (9-12) Always in rear, 12th of 15, 21l behind Cool Strike (8-6) at Newmarket 1m 4f hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Jul.
Reel Buddy Star 12-1 (8-11) Pressed leader, ridden over 2f out, every chance over 1f out, faded inside final furlong, 7th of 15, 6l behind Bab Al Salam (8-12) at Sandown 1m hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Aug.
Celtic Change (IRE) 4-1 (9-6) Held up, driven and outpaced over 2f out, switched left and ridden over 1f out, never near leaders, 6th of 9, 7l behind Chapter And Verse (8-9) at Ripon 1m hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Aug.
Capucci 8-1 (9-5) Held up in touch, keen, weakened final furlong, 5th of 7, 6l behind Keisha Kayleigh (8-2) at Ayr 1m 1f hcp 66-85 (4) sft in Aug.
Daaweitza 9-1 (10-11) Tracked leaders, headway to lead 4th out, soon ridden, stayed on well under pressure final furlong, won at Redcar 1m 2f ladies hcp 0-75 (5) gf in Aug beating Edas (9-10) by 1 1/4l, 15 ran.
Ansells Pride (IRE) 25-1 (8-10) Close up on outside, hung left and lost place 3f out, weakened over 1f out, 10th of 12, 20l behind Balcarce Nov (10-0) at Haydock 1m hcp 0-100 (2) gd in Aug.
Chapter And Verse (IRE) 16-1 (8-9) Tracked leader, led 2f out, driven and stayed on well final furlong, won at Ripon 1m hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Aug beating Effigy (9-1) by 1 1/2l, 9 ran.
Collateral Damage (IRE) 11-4fav (9-3) Tracked leaders, chased leade 3f out, led over 1f out, ridden clear final furlong, won at Ayr 1m hcp 0-80 (4) sft in Aug beating Stellite (8-12) by 6l, 14 ran.
Kloof 11-1 (9-3) Tracked leader, ridden to lead over 2f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra, 2nd of 17, 1 1/4l behind Shangani (8-5) at Salisbury 7f 3yo mdn (5) gf in Jun.
Glenmuir (IRE) 14-1 (8-10) Chased leaders, ridden and no impression straight, 8th of 11, 10l behind Via Con Dios (8-8) at Naas 1m hcp 60-90 sft in Jul.
Lakeman (IRE) 25-1 (9-4) Mid-division, headway on outside 3f out, ridden to lead 2f out, drew clear final furlong, won at Musselburgh 1m hcp 0-70 (5) sft in Aug beating Northern Flyer (8-9) by 4 1/2l, 11 ran.
Spirit of A Nation (IRE) 6-1 (9-7) Held up, headway 2f out, quickened to lead approaching final furlong, edged right and kept on inside final furlong, won at Doncaster 7f 3yo hcp (4) gd in Jun '08 beating Astrodonna (9-1) by 1 3/4l, 11 ran.
