held up, headway over 7f out, led over 3f out, ridden over 2f out, under pressure inside final furlong, all out
held up in rear, headway and left 2nd approaching 3f out, challenged over 1f out, ridden inside final furlong, not quicken
held up towards rear, headway approaching 5f out, going well and in 2nd when quickly pulled up over 3f out
mid-division, ridden and weakened over 5f out
led, headed after 5f, ridden approaching 4f out, soon weakened
tracked leader, led after 5f out, headed and weakened over 4f out
took keen hold in mid-division, headway to lead over 4f out, ridden and headed over 3f out, soon weakened
mid-division, ridden and weakened over 5f out
tracked leaders, weakened over 5f out
in touch, headway 5f out, ridden and weakened over 4f out
Iris's Prince has obvious claims and gets a confident vote, with Rouge Et Noir the only one expected to give him something to do. Jonjo O'Neill always seems to have them ready to run well in bumpers and so it was no surprise when Iris's Prince gave a good account of himself on his Worcester debut last month. Held up at the back, he made smooth headway without being good enough to beat Mighty Man, but would have been closer than 21 lengths away had he not tried to duck out at the paddock bend. Once straightened up, he stuck to his task well and should improve enough here to go one better. The stable had a winner in this sphere with Square Mile at Worcester on Wednesday, so that augurs well for his chance as well. Roget Et Noir has the edge in experience over the market leader but has lacked a gear so far and comes up against a more scopey rival. As for the rest, the market is likely to be the only indicator, and Iris's Prince should take all the beating.
