chased leader, ridden and every chance 2f out, kept on same pace inside final furlong, lost 3rd post
led, ridden and headed over 1f out, weakened final furlong
tracked leaders, ridden and every chance 2f out, no extra inside final furlong
slowly into stride outpaced
chased leader, ridden to lead over 1f out, headed well inside final furlong
in touch, headway over 1f out, ridden to lead well inside final furlong, driven out
soon pushed along in rear, ridden and headway approaching 1f out, stayed on, never nearer
fly jumped start, outpaced
chased leaders, ridden halfway, chance 2f out, weakened 1f out
outpaced
never better than mid-division
dwelt, headway to chase leaders halfway, ridden over 1f out, stayed on to go 3rd post
chased leaders, weakened halfway
in rear, never near leaders
It wouldn't take a great leap of faith to see Grand Palace come back to form today from an attractive enough mark, but he has never yet won when fresh so we will hope that POCKET'S PICK can come back to form. Jim Best's gelding was a course and distance scorer in December from a mark of 60 and is 2lb lower today. He has twice gone close from that higher mark on turf in the summer and showed signs of a return to form last time and today could be the day. Guto loves it here and is another who showed some more spark last time, so he can't be ruled out. Desert Strike is a consistent performer who goes well at both this trip and 6f and he should be in the mix at the business end.
Cape of Storms 14-1 (9-5) Led and keen, ridden 1f out, headed towards finish, lost 2nd place close home, 3rd of 14, 3/4l behind Accamelia (9-1) at Southwell 6f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs.
Pocket's Pick (IRE) 25-1 (9-7) Led, ridden and headed over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 6th of 9, 4 1/2l behind Stratton Banker (9-5) at Folkestone 5f hcp 0-60 (6) gf in Sep.
Desert Strike 7-1 (9-0) Held up towards rear on outer and keen, ridden and headway over 1f out, kept on to take 2nd close home, 2nd of 14, nk behind Accamelia (9-1) at Southwell 6f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs.
Thoughtsofstardom 40-1 (8-13) Held up in rear, ridden over 2f out, well behind over 1f out, last of 11, 20l behind Nollaig Shona (9-1) at Kempton 6f hcp (0-65) (6) pol.
Guto 4-1 (8-13) Tracked leaders, ridden to lead 2f out, headed just inside final furlong, one pace and lost 2nd near finish, 3rd of 9, 4l behind First Blade (9-7) at Yarmouth 5f hcp 0-60 (6) hvy in Oct.
Sleepy Blue Ocean 7-1 (9-1) In touch, ridden over 2f out, weakened final furlong, 9th of 12, 17l behind Captain Royale (8-11) at Newcastle 5f hcp 0-55 (6) gs in Aug.
Residency (IRE) 4-1 (9-3) Pominent, ridden over 2f out, no impression over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 13, 8l behind Senate Majority (9-3) at Southwell 6f mdn stks (5) fbs.
Mr Funshine 9-1 (8-13) With leaders, ridden to chase leader 2f out, weakened final furlong, 8th of 10, 19l behind Kate Skate (9-4) at Yarmouth 5f hcp 0-60 (6) hvy in Oct.
Lucky Art (USA) 16-1 (8-13) Chased leader, ridden and every chance over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 8th of 10, 4 1/2l behind Select Committee (9-5) at Redcar 5f hcp 0-70 (5) gf in Sep.
Grand Palace (IRE) 9-1 (9-3) Held up towards rear, ridden and weakened over 1f out, 9th of 10, 14l behind Short Cut (8-13) at Kempton 6f hcp (0-55) (6) pol in Feb.
Rio Sands 10-1 (9-0) Mid-division, ridden 2f out, soon weakened, 11th of 16, 28l behind Tenancy (8-3) at Newcastle 5f hcp 0-60 (6) hvy in Sep.
Exceedingly Good (IRE) 14-1 (8-11) Dwelt, towards rear, ridden over 2f out, headway on outer over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, 6th of 12, 2 3/4l behind Final Salute (8-8) at Southwell 6f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs.
Gleaming Spirit (IRE) 33-1 (8-9) With leaders over 1f, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, last of 11, 12l behind Bidruma (9-3) at Kempton 5f hcp 0-50 (7) pol.
Leahness (IRE) 9-2 (8-12) Held up tracking leaders, pushed along halfway, driven to well held 3rd over 1f out, no impression, 3rd of 5, 6l behind Clear Praise (9-3) at Lingfield 5f mdn stks (5) pol.
