chased stands side leader, overall leader 2f out, driven and ran on well final furlong
chased stands side leaders, ridden 2f out, stayed on same pace final furlong
chased far side leaders, ridden to lead that group 1f out until near finish, no chance with stands side group
slowly into stride, soon pressed far side leaders, led that group 3f out to 2f out, weakened quickly
led stands side trio, headed 2f out, weakened over 1f out
led far side group to 3f out, ridden 2f out and soon weakened
always behind far side
chased far side leaders, led that group 2f out to 1f out, weakened
slowly into stride, rear of far side group, headway to chase far side leaders inside final 2f, ran on to lead that group near finish, no chance with stands side group
led in centre, hard ridden 2f out, stayed on same pace final furlong
slowly into stride, behind in centre, headway, went 2nd and hung left inside final furlong, no chance with winner
raced far side and always behind
In the claimer, The London Gang gets the call ahead of principally Piddies Pride. The London Gang has plenty of pace and, even though he caught the eye staying on over seven furlongs last time, he also catches the eye dropping into this company for the first time and should go well. The drop in trip on the probable soft going is seen as more of a positive than a negative too. Piddies Pride has shown a liking for give in the ground in the past and looks weighted to go well here, so is respected, while Vague Star's chance can't be dismissed if she is able to recapture anything like her best form pitched into this level for the first time. Finally, Banjo Bay holds place claims, Endless Summer would need to turn the clock back to his 80s-rated form of 2004 in order to feature, and Franksalot's most recent win came at this level, but that came on the all-weather and he is also not fully proven on the likely soft going. All of which returns us to the selection, which is The London Gang.
Franksalot (IRE) 16-1 (8-3) Held upr, headway halfway, chased leaders over 1f out, ran on to lead final 100 yards, caught near finish, 2nd of 11, hd behind High Ridge (8-12) at Folkestone 6f hcp 0-75 (5) gf.
Endless Summer 16-1 (9-4) Always behind, no impression final 2f, 7th of 12, 5l behind Silent Storm (9-0) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Dec.
Kitchen Sink (IRE) 5-1 (8-12) Raced wide, held up, ridden, no impression over 1f out, 10th of 12, 4 1/2l behind Mind Alert (8-10) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Feb.
Sergeant Lewis 33-1 (9-1) Always behind, 10th of 12, 4 1/2l behind Pippa's Dancer (9-4) at Kempton 6f hcap (6) std.
Banjo Bay (IRE) 33-1 (9-0) With leaders, ridden and hung right over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 7th of 18, 3 1/2l behind Greenwood (10-1) at Lingfield 7f ldy rds hcp (5) gd.
Byo (IRE) 8-1 (8-10) Mid-division, ridden and weakened halfway, 12th of 14, 19l behind Mystery Pips (8-7) at Yarmouth 5f hcap (6) gf.
Renegade (IRE) 7-1 (8-13) Tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, gradually weakened, 10th of 13, 5l behind Wanna Shout (9-1) at Kempton 1m banded stk (7) pol.
Vague Star (ITY) 11-1 (9-3) Raced far side, went left start, always towards rear, 15th of 17, 8l behind Lady Algarhoud (8-12) at Nottingham 5f hcap (6) gd.
Piddies Pride (IRE) 33-1 (9-3) Chased leaders, effort over 2f out, soon faded, 12th of 16, 13l behind Charlie Bear (8-6) at Yarmouth 7f hcp 0-65 (6) gf in Apr.
Stagnite 10-1 (9-0) Led, ridden and headed 2f out, faded, 6th of 12, 5l behind Forest Dane (9-2) at Kempton 6f banded stk (7) pol.
The London Gang 10-1 (9-1) Held up, ridden halfway, headway 2f out, kept on final furlong, 4th of 15, 4l behind Damika (9-5) at Lingfield 7f 3yo hcp (5) gd.
Tuscany Queen (IRE) 20-1 (8-3) Prominent, outpaced and stumbled 3f out, switched left and headway over 2f out, kept on same pace, 5th of 9, 10l behind La Fanciulla (9-0) at Salisbury 7f 3yo clm (5) gs.
