tracked leader, led after 4 out, headed 3 out, no chance with winner
chased leaders, not fluent 7th, ridden and weakened after 4 out, pulled up before 2 out
held up mid-division, weakened approaching 4 out, pulled up before 3 out
held up in rear, weakened from 6th, pulled up before 3 out
in touch, weakened 4 out, pulled up before 3 out
held up mid-division, mistake 4 out, blundered 2 out when weakening
held up in touch, soon chasing leaders, ridden and weakened after 4 out
chased leaders, weakened approaching 3 out
held up, weakened after 5 out, pulled up before 3 out
held up in rear, hit 6th, weakened approaching 3 out
led, headed after 4 out, blundered next when weakening, pulled up before 2 out
held up mid-division, headway approaching 4 out, led 3 out, pushed clear after last
held up, headway 4 out, soon ridden, weakened approaching next
held up, mistake 5th, chased leaders 4 out, weakened approaching 3 out
held up, weakened from 7th, hit next, pulled up before 3 out
held up, pushed along approaching 7th, never dangerous
On Raglan Road was very impressive when winning at Hexham but can he carry a penalty to victory in this much better race? The man from Del Monte says 'no!' and he chooses MASSASOIT to carry the oranges; Gabreselassie and Copper Bleu make it to the shortlist. Jonjo O'Neill has won the last two renewals of this race and it has a decent enough history. His charge Gabreselassie has plenty to find on the form shown so far but don't rule out further improvement. However Massasoit is interesting with the stable in blistering form. Formerly trained by Malcolm Jefferson in his bumper days, the selection makes his return to the racetrack today. Andy Stewart paid over 100,000 guineas for this son of Supreme Leader and with the longer trip in his favour he rates the one to beat. On Raglan Road was picked up for 320,000 guineas and this former Irish point-to-pointer looks a class act; the drop in trip should be no problem and this is the real acid test. Copper Bleu received a good report in Phillip Hobbs' recent stable tour and this half-brother to Presenting Copper must be of interest on his hurdling debut. Knockara Beau is a course winner and along with Burnswood is another interesting newcomer to this sphere. Mr Gardner represents powerful connections and he changed hands recently for a fair amount, however in what promises to be a fascinating race it is Massasoit who gets our vote.
On Raglan Road (IRE) 8-13fav (10-12) Chased leaders, led 7th, clear 2 out, won at Hexham 3m nov hdl (4) gs beating Peters Star (11-5) by 38l, 8 ran.
What A Buzz 5-1 (10-12) Chased leader, led 6th, clear approaching 2 out, won at Bangor 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) gd beating Kack Handed (10-12) by 4 1/2l, 13 ran.
Beyond Redemption (IRE) (12-0) won at Liscarroll 3m ire ptp hvy in Mar beating Colls Corner (12-0) by 2 1/2l, 10 ran.
Bridging Loan 50-1 (11-0) Always behind, 9th of 11, well behind Black Mogul (10-7) at Hexham 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) sft.
Burnswood (IRE) 2-1fav (10-9) Chased leader, led over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 3rd of 13, 10l behind Somersby (10-9) at Huntingdon 2m nhf (5) sft in Mar.
Copper Bleu (IRE) 8-1 (11-4) Held up, chased leaders 7f out, led 3f out, led over 1f out when hung left, weakened inside final furlong, 5th of 20, 10l behind Honest John (10-12) at Aintree 2m 1f nhf Grd 2 (1) gd in Apr.
Dance Island (IRE) 28-1 (10-9) Held up in touch, pushed along over 4f out, stayed on one pace approaching final furlong, 4th of 11, 7l behind Blistering (10-12) at Warwick 2m nhf (6) hvy in Jan.
Fair Point (IRE) (12-0) Prominent, led last, battled on, won at Templemore 3m ire ptp gd in Apr '07 beating Spring Vision (11-9) by a , 18 ran.
Fernandina (IRE) 15-2 (11-4) Held up in touch, kept on same pace from 3 out, 3rd of 5, 7l behind Hopkins (11-4) at Market Rasen 2m 3f nh nov hdl (3) sft in Feb.
Gabreselassie (IRE) 8-1 (11-1) Held up in rear, headway approaching 2 out, never near leaders, 5th of 13, 13l behind Your Amount (11-1) at Stratford 2m mdn hdl (4) gd in Mar.
Knockara Beau (IRE) 4-1 (11-9) Mid-division, headway after 3f, led after 6f, made rest, ridden over 1f out, ran on, won at Aintree 2m 1f nhf (4) gd in May beating Son of Flicka (11-0) by 1/2l, 16 ran.
Massasoit (IRE) 6-1 (10-12) Prominent, not fluent 3 out, ridden behind leaders approaching 2 out, weakened approaching last, 4th of 5, 26l behind Theatre Girl (10-5) at Wincanton 2m nh nov hdl (3) gd in Nov.
Mr Gardner (IRE) (12-0) won at The Pigeons 3m ire ptp gs in Mar beating Rathgar Storm (12-0) by a distance, 14 ran.
Sassanias (FR) 5-1 (10-7) Held up, in touch, effort over 3f out, soon one pace, 6th of 15, 6l behind Riverside Theatre (10-7) at Kempton 2m nhf (4) gd in Feb.
Son Histoire (FR) 8-1 (10-12) Chased leaders, ridden 3f out, weakened approaching final furlong, 3rd of 11, 5l behind Jayne's Crusader (11-3) at Towcester 2m mdn nhf (5) gd in Apr.
Soul Magic (IRE) (12-0) pulled up in race won by Tamadot (12-0) at Dungarvan 3m ire ptp sft in Jan '07, 13 ran.
American World (FR) 9-1 (11-0) Keen, led, headed over 3f out, soon ridden and weakened, 5th of 6, 26l behind Moscow Catch (11-0) at Huntingdon 2m nhf (5) gf.
Robbie Dye 7-1 (11-0) Chased leaders, one pace from 3 out, 3rd of 12, 8l behind Little Lu (10-7) at Wetherby 2m 3f nh mdn hdl (4) gf in May.
