held up, ridden and headway over 3f out, one pace final 2f
held up, ridden and headway over 2f out, never nearer
chased leaders, ridden over 6f out, weakened final 2f
never better than mid-division
held up, headway 3f out, chased winner final furlong stayed on
slowly into stride, headway 10f out, led 6f out, ridden and headed over 2f out, kept on same pace
mid-division, ridden and weakened over 3f out
in touch, chased leader over 3f out, led over 2f out, clear over 1f out, ridden out
towards rear, ridden and headway 3f out, kept on, not reached leaders
held up towards rear, outpaced over 4f out, kept on never dangerous
towards rear, ridden over 6f out, not reached leaders
Isa'af can outstay his rivals here, with Calamintha, Madhahir, Starry Mary and Masjoor all seen as potential dangers. Stamina will be at a premium here and so Isa'af has plenty going for him, having been in winning form on the all-weather before scoring in good to soft ground at Southwell ten days ago. Peter Hiatt's five-year-old had only won on fast ground on turf prior to that, so now appears to be adaptable on that point, and with no doubts about his ability to get the trip, he should go close. Calamintha is another that will stay, and she lines up back on the level after a fairly useful hurdles campaign that saw her win twice in soft ground. Conditions were also testing when she landed a seller at Yarmouth last season, so the ground is not a problem although she will need to improve just a bit to beat the selection. Madhahir won an apprentice affair in soft going at Folkestone at the end of March and is not badly handicapped, while Starry Mary, second on her last two outings, and the Frankie Dettori-ridden Masjoor also make some appeal for place purposes. However, with Philip Makin taking seven pounds off his back, Isa'af should make a bold bid.
