held up towards rear, ridden and headway over 2f out, kept on inside final furlong
held up mid-division, ridden over 2f out, kept on same pace, no impression final furlong
chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, kept on one pace
chased leaders, ridden 3f out, weakened final furlong
held up behind, effort over 2f out, never dangerous
chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
led, ridden over 2f out, kept on and headed towards finish
held up towards rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, soon switched right, ran on to take 2nd close home
soon chasing leader, ridden well over 1f out, weakened final furlong
mid-division, ridden and headway over 2f out, ran on inside to lead towards finish
Although Up Tempo has been in flying form of late he is paying the price with the handicapper and looks to have a stiff task ahead of him under a welter burden today. Therefore, he is only forwarded as a saver option and is passed over in favour of Sir Don, who proved his liking for this course when winning over a mile on this card last year. David Nicholls' charge will need to work hard though as the likes of Minstrel Sky and Zarfasha both arrive here with fitness on their side and are more than capable of making a fist of things. So too is Bundy, who is a versatile performer that can give them all plenty to think about if he is wound up to go on his first start of the campaign. However, like a few of the others in the field, he has never won over this intermediate trip and his style of running may leave him with too much to at the finish. Therefore, with his stamina assured, Sir Don looks a more reliable option. It will be no surprise to see Adrian Nicholls gain a prominent position with the five-year-old and, with his recent spin at Catterick expected to have done him the world of good, Sir Don may be too hard to catch today.
