raced centre, held up, stayed on under pressure final furlong, not pace to reach leaders
raced alone on far side rail, not on terms when edged right final furlong
raced centre, held up, never going pace to challenge
raced along against near side rail, led after 2f, kept on well until headed and not pace of winner well inside final furlong
slowly into stride, held up rear of centre group, good headway over 1f out, strong run to lead well inside final furlong, driven clear
raced centre, chased leaders, keeping on same pace when edged right under pressure inside final furlong
raced centre, chased leader, led group 3f out, kept on same pace final furlong
raced centre, soon outpaced, struggling final 2f
led group in centre to 3f out, weakened over 1f out
There can be no doubting that The Tatling has enjoyed a tremendous season and has far exceeded all expectations since he joined his current yard after being claimed at Catterick last year. However, his 3lb Group 3 penalty will make life hard for him here and he is reluctantly passed over today. The in-form Dubian Gift and The Trader make plenty appeal after their recent efforts and will both be hard to master. But slender preference is for Wokingham-dead-heater Ratio, who is much better than his Royal Ascot finishing position would suggest. The Pivotal gelding has proved himself to be adaptable with regard to a ground preference and has a high enough cruising speed to cope with this drop back in trip. The fitting of the first-time visor will help him to keep tabs on these speed-balls and he can be expected to swoop late and fast if he is to prevail under Phillip Robinson. Martin Dwyer is reunited with Dubian Gift after the partnership recorded an emphatic success together at Doncaster just over a week ago, but he his is unlikely to be given an easy lead this time around if Dragon Flyer's connections decide to take him on for the lead. This scenario would play straight into the hands of Ratio and the five-year-old is taken to fly the flag for France in what looks to be a strong renewal of this Group 3 prize.
