disputed lead, ridden 2f out, headed well inside final furlong, unable to quicken close home
disputed lead until over 1f out, one pace inside final furlong
towards rear, headway 2f out, soon ridden, never nearer
in touch, weakened quickly over 2f out, virtually pulled up over 1f out
in touch, ridden over 1f out, not much room and squeezed through inside final furlong, ran on to lead well inside
held up, never dangerous
steadied start, towards rear, never nearer
tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, effort, edged left and every chance approaching 1f out, ran on inside final furlong
hampered soon after start, switched right, soon in touch, weakened well over 3f out
Some decent types on show here and a number of them are worth noting in running for future reference whatever happens today. Those include: Vantage, who ran a blinder over course and distance last time and will surely have benefited from that run, Gjovic, who improved with each appearance last term and should be winning races pretty soon if he continues in the same way, and Just Tim, whose efforts from last year left Richard Hannon with plenty to work with this time around. However, preference is for Over The Rainbow, who takes a huge drop in class here after a disappointing display in the Royal Lodge Stakes when he was last seen out. In fairness, that outing was probably an experiment with the son of Rainbow Quest and he can be forgiven his display against some of the better performers of his generation. This looks to be a more realistic target for him and a better effort is anticipated today. It is also worth bearing in mind Barry Hills' record with horses on the all weather and, although this probably not what his connections initially had in mind for him, this is a good platform for Over The Rainbow to launch his career as a three-year-old.
