led, ridden and headed over 1f out, kept on
prominent, ridden 2f out, one pace final furlong
prominent, ridden 2f out, soon weakened
tracked leaders, headway 2f out, led over 1f out, ran on well
slowly into stride, always towards rear
steadied start, always towards rear
chased leaders, ridden well over 1f out, kept on
This is a tricky one, as the York run from Council Member was too bad to be true and he could easily bounce back here if whatever was troubling him that day has been identified and eradicated. However, as that is more of a guessing game than we are prepared to play, the selection goes to Satchem, who appears to be a more straightforward character. Galeota and Sudden Dismissal are others that hold strong enough claims to merit a second look in the betting, while Safari Sunset has already been highly tried and appears to be a little short of the mark at this level. Before he blotted his copy book on the Knavesmire, Council Member - a son of the legendary Seattle Slew - had shown plenty of ability and his effort in the July Stakes is probably the best piece of form available so far. The market will tell us if he is expected to run up to that level today and a positive move will be dangerous to ignore. However, Satchem has form that ties in with that race and is a very worthy alternative this afternoon. The David Loder-trained colt appears to be adaptable regarding the ground and, as he is likely to available at slightly more attractive odds than the Godolphin runner, he is given our vote to come out on top for value today.
