chased leaders, shaken up 4f out, led inside final furlong, soon edged left, headed near finish
led, ridden well over 3f out, headed 2f out, weakened over 1f out
mid-division, ridden 5f out, soon struggling
held up towards rear, not clear run on inside 2f out, headway over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
chased leaders, ridden when hampered well over 1f out, no danger after
held up towards rear, headway over 2f out, not clear run well over 1f out, no impression after
in touch, not clear run and lost place over 2f out, kept on one pace inside final furlong
chased leader, led 2f out, soon headed, weakened over 1f out
held up towards rear, headway over 3f out, every chance well over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
held up, ridden over 5f out, behind final 4f, tailed off
slowly into stride, soon in touch, led well over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra towards finish
held up, headway on outside over 2f out, ran on inside final furlong to lead near finish
Champagne Shadow must always be feared on the all-weather however he looks high enough in the weights and so the vote goes to the still-improving Adage ahead of Mighty Kitchener. A winner last time out, David Pinder's charge now has three wins to his name - all over this course and distance. Winless in 14 starts on the turf, he is obviously more at home on this surface and with more improvement to come, he can go on to defy this 5lb higher mark. Double Banded comes here in search of the hat-trick and warrants plenty of respect. He didn't shine on his only try on the all-weather previously however that was over an inadequate trip and he should go well. Dual-performer The Chip Chopman should be monitored for market support having come over from Ireland, whilst Mighty Kitchener has a good record at the track and shouldn't be underestimated despite his poor recent showing. Bold Adventure looks a stayer capable of racking up a sequence however the drop in trip may not be ideal, so we will therefore return to Adage as the nomination.
Champagne Shadow (IRE) 2-1fav (9-5) Close up, ridden over 6f out, driven to chase leader over 3f out, weakening when short of room approaching 2f out, 5th of 13, 4l behind Musango (9-10) at Lingfield 1m 4f clm (6) pol in Aug.
Moonshine Beach 10-1 (9-9) Led steady pace, quickened 6f out, ridden 4f out, headed 3f out, soon beaten, 8th of 9, 35l behind Full House (9-11) at Pontefract 2m 1f hcp 0-80 (4) gf in Jun '06.
The Chip Chopman (IRE) 7-1 (9-7) Tracked leaders, 4th 4f out, ridden 2 1/2f out, 3rd before straight, kept on same pace under pressure, 3rd of 18, 7l behind Eight Up (9-13) at Galway 1m 4f hcp 0-70 gs in Aug.
Mighty Kitchener (USA) 7-1 (9-6) Mid-division, ridden and headway over 2f out, one pace, 9th of 17, 8l behind Golden Groom (9-4) at Newcastle 2m hcap (6) gf.
Ha'penny Beacon 7-1 (10-0) Mid-division, ridden over 2f out, headway over 1f out, one pace, 6th of 12, 3 1/2l behind Boz (9-4) at W'hampton 1m 4f hcap (6) pol.
Red Wine 11-1 (8-11) Slowly into stride, held up in rear, switched right over 1f out, stayed on under pressure inside final furlong, 4th of 15, 1 1/2l behind Elegant Hawk (9-9) at Lingfield 1m 4f hcap (5) pol.
Adage 13-2 (9-7) Held up, headway over 2f out, soon edged left, led inside final furlong, driven out, won at W'hampton 1m 6f hcap (6) pol beating Synonymy (9-9) by 3/4l, 12 ran.
Louviere 14-1 (9-5) Led, ridden and headed 3f out, weakened 2f out, 5th of 10, 7l behind Irish Quest (9-5) at Haydock 1m 6f 3yo hcp (4) gf.
Play Master (IRE) 40-1 (9-11) Always towards rear, 9th of 12, 8l behind Royal Indulgence (8-13) at Chepstow 1m 2f hcp 0-65 (6) gf in Aug.
Picot de Say 14-1 (9-3) Slowly into stride, behind, headway over 6f out, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened, 9th of 12, 10l behind Acuzio (9-5) at Warwick 1m 5f app hcp (6) gd in Jul '06.
Double Banded (IRE) 5-2 (8-6) In touch, smooth headway over 3f out, went 2nd over 2f out, shaken up to lead over 1f out, pushed out, comfortably, won at Redcar 1m 6f hcap (5) frm beating Let It Be (9-1) by 3 1/2l, 9 ran.
Bold Adventure 8-1 (7-12) Held up, smooth headway into midfield 4f out, led going well over 2f out, 3 lengths clear final furlong, heavily eased up near finish, won at Kempton 2m hcap (6) pol beating Hora (7-13) by 1/2l, 13 ran.
Figaro's Quest (IRE) 22-1 (9-4) Mid-division, lost place over 4f out, progress soon after, weakened approaching final furlong, 5th of 12, 10l behind Brastar Jelois (8-8) at W'hampton 1m 4f sll (6) pol.
