held up, headway on outside 5f out, led 2f out, soon ridden, stayed on under pressure final furlong, just held on
mid-division, ridden over 2f out, kept on same pace, no impression
held up, pushed along 4f out, headway under pressure over 1f out, soon ridden, stayed on well towards finish, just failed
held up, always behind
tracked leaders, lost place 2f out, soon beaten
tracked leader, led 3f out to 2f out, soon ridden, rallied inside final furlong
led, ridden, headed 3f out, soon outpaced, weakened over 1f out
held up in touch, ridden, lost place over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
This will be a real test for these runners, with Squiffy selected ahead of Figaro's Quest and Squadron. Gallileo Figaro looked progressive when scoring at Newcastle two runs ago but is now five pounds higher in the ratings and races off topweight today. Princess Kyoto ran a fine race last time on her first run since 2005 and this course and distance winner is entitled to build on that. The downside is that she has yet to prove herself on testing going. Much as he is seven pounds above his Newcastle winning mark we could still see Rocknest Island going well but, again, he is unproven under testing conditions. You can certainly build the case for Figaro's Quest, and he seemed to handle soft the one time he tried it, while Patavium has yet to win on the Flat and is not fully proven over this trip in this sphere, even though he has place claims on his best pieces of form. Stepping up to today's trip for the first time, Squiffy came good at Warwick last time and a four-pounds rise should not stop him from being competitive today. Finally, Michaels Dream would be hard to build a strong case for but Squadron, who steps up to two miles for the first time today, has suggested that he is better than consenting to show thus far, but he'll put his best foot forward one day. For today, though, Squiffy might be a safer option for win purposes.
Gallileo Figaro (USA) 8-1 (8-12) Tracked leaders, ridden to challenge over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 7th of 12, 7l behind Dhehdaah (9-0) at Newmarket 1m 7f hcp 0-75 (5) gs in Jun.
Princess Kiotto 16-1 (8-13) Tracked leaders, effort over 3f out, one pace, 3rd of 8, 5l behind Alfonso (8-7) at Ayr 1m 5f hcp 0-75 (5) gd in May.
Rocknest Island (IRE) 3-1 (8-12) Tracked leader, led over 4f out, ridden and headed over 2f out, stayed on same pace final 2f, 2nd of 7, 3l behind Garnett (9-7) at Redcar 2m hcp 0-65 (6) gs in Jun.
Figaro's Quest (IRE) 14-1 (8-9) Took keen hold in touch, pushed along over 4f out, driven over 2f out, weakened inside final furlong, 4th of 7, 15l behind Garnett (9-7) at Redcar 2m hcp 0-65 (6) gs in Jun.
Patavium (IRE) 17-2 (10-1) In touch, led over 7f out, headed 3f out, one pace until weakened final furlong, 5th of 11, 10l behind Gardasee (9-1) at Ripon 1m 4f ldy rds hcp (6) sft in Jun.
Squiffy 7-1 (8-2) Chased leaders, driven over 4f out, ridden to lead 1f out, ridden clear, won at Warwick 2m hcp 0-70 (5) gs in Jun beating To Arms (8-8) by 1 1/2l, 8 ran.
Michaels Dream (IRE) 33-1 (8-10) Led after 1f, ridden 4f out, headed over 3f out, soon lost place, weakened over 1f out, 10th of 13, 14l behind Vice Admiral (8-9) at Redcar 1m 6f hcp 0-65 (6) gf in Aug.
Crimson Monarch (USA) 10-1 (9-0) Towards rear, ridden 3f out, no impression until stayed on final furlong, 7th of 11, 4l behind Squadron (9-1) at Goodwood 1m 6f 3yo mdn hcp (5) gd in Jun.
