tracked leaders, took keen hold, chased winner 3 out, driven and closed flat, no impression towards finish
held up in rear, ridden after 6th, weakened approaching 3 out
mid-division, pushed along 6th, soon lost place, weakened 3 out, tailed off
held up in rear, not fluent 5th, headway after next, no impression on front pair when disputng 3rd last, no extra flat
mid-division, closed 4th, hit 3 out, soon ridden, no impression on front pair when jumped right and not fluent last
made all, edged left on bend after 3rd, clear 2 out, held on well flat
held up in rear on outside, jumped slowly 4th, some headway 6th, weakened approaching 3 out
took keen hold, tracked winner until 3 out, held next, weakened flat
MEETINGS MAN sets a high standard for his rivals to aim at. Micky Hammond's gelding is rated 122 after a respectable second at Wetherby, form that has been franked by the fifth home Grandouet since. Almutaham is going the right way but needs to improve on his Aintree run to feature, so a bigger threat might be the 70+ rated flat horse Capricornus despite the nagging doubt that he's more of a handicapping prospect. Makbullet has already shown promise despite being a sprinter by trade, but along with The Starboard Bow he is not one to take lightly.
Meetings Man (IRE) 50-1 (11-4) Held up towards rear and keen, went 4th approaching 3 out, chased winner approaching last, kept on and no impression, 2nd of 13, 9l behind Maoi Chinn Tire (10-12) at Wetherby 2m Listed hdl 3yo (1) gd in Oct.
Almutaham (USA) 25-1 (11-0) Raced keenly, soon tracked leader, led narrowly 4 out, headed next, soon ridden, kept on same pace from next, no impression, 4th of 10, 21l behind Mason Hindmarsh (11-0) at Aintree 2m 1f juv hdl (3) gs in Oct.
Barton Bounty 50-1 (8-2) Outpaced towards rear, headway over 1f out, never nearer, 7th of 12, 6l behind Northern Flyer (9-1) at Catterick 7f hcp 0-60 (6) gf in Sep (flat).
Capricornus (USA) 16-1 (10-12) Mid-division when mistake 1st, towards rear, not fluent 4th, some headway from 3 out, never dangerous, 5th of 11, 43l behind Palawi (10-12) at Haydock 2m juv hdl (4) gd in Oct.
Makbullet 12-1 (10-12) Held up towards rear, jumped right 4 out, soon headway, chased clear leader approaching 3 out, 5 lengths down when left in lead 2 out, soon pressed and headed last, no extra flat, 2nd of 14, 4l behind Bring Sweets (10-9) at Wetherby 2m 3yo mdn hdl (5) gd in Oct.
The Starboard Bow 12-1 (9-2) Held up in rear, ridden on outside and beaten 2f out, 6th of 8, 9l behind Regal Park (9-7) at Newbury 2m 3yo hcp 0-85 (4) gd in Sep (flat).
I Got Music 33-1 (8-3) Held up in rear, pushed along over 5f out and outpaced, headway over 2f out, kept on inside final furlong, 3rd of 11, 10l behind Drop The Hammer (9-9) at Catterick 2m hcp 0-60 (6) sft in Oct (flat).
Sweet Caroline (IRE) 12-1 (8-12) Broke well, soon tracking leaders, ridden over 4f out, never a factor, 4th of 6, 13l behind Beggar's Opera (9-3) at Lingfield 1m 4f 3yo mdn stks (5) pol in Mar (flat).
