dwelt, raced stand side, behind, ridden over 2f out, stayed on final furlong, no chance with far side group
tracked leaders far side group, ridden well over 1f out, ran on well inside final furlong, just held close home
led stand side group, ridden and headed over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
chased leader far side group, ridden to lead overall over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, one pace
tracked leaders stand side, ridden over 2f out, stayed on final furlong, no chance with far side group
towards rear far side group, weakened well over 1f out
chased leaders far side group, ridden and edged left well over 1f out, weakened entering final furlong
tracked leaders far side group, ridden 2f out, no extra well inside final furlong
tracked leaders stand side, ridden over 2f out, one pace, no impression final furlong
led far side group, ridden and headed over 1f out, one pace final furlong
raced stand side group, mid-division, ridden and weakened well over 1f out
raced stand side group, chased leaders, led over 2f out, ridden and headed overall over 1f out, one pace and no chance with far side group
chased leaders far side group, ridden and hung left over 1f out, one pace
raced stand side group, slow away, always behind
behind far side group, ridden over 2f out, stayed on well final furlong
dwelt, raced behind stand side group, ridden halfway, one pace and no chance with far side group
chased leaders stand side group, ridden halfway, weakened final furlong
raced stand side group, in rear, ridden and headway over 2f out, no impression final furlong
raced far side group, in touch, ridden 2f out, kept on inside final furlong, ran on towards finish
As you'd expect this is competitive and we take Viking Spirit to overcome the draw and take this valuable prize, with Spirit Of France, Joseph Henry and Excusez Moi also likely to get involved at the business end. Viking Spirit is well thought of by the astute Walter Swinburn, and has put in some good displays over this trip on decent ground. His seasonal debut should have put him spot on for this, and though the draw speaks in favour of the near side, the far rail is not the worst place to be, and we will take him to overcome. One or two, including Paris Bell, look likely to struggle on the ground, but there certainly won't be any question over pace down the nearside, and Joseph Henry might win the battle of the low draw. A 7lb claim and a 2lb pull with Excusez Moi on their last run against each other should see him good enough to emerge on top there, though both Bold Marc and Tagula Sunrise should ensure there's no hanging about. Spirit Of France has track and trip in his favour, but a middle draw won't help, so we take 'the choirboy' to be singing the praises of Viking Spirit.
Excusez Moi (USA) 10-1 (8-11) Held up, 7th straight, headway to chase leading pair and hung left over 1f out, no impression, 3rd of 9, 1l behind Galeota (9-6) at Epsom 7f 3yo lst stk (1) gd.
Beckermet (IRE) 11-1 (9-6) Dwelt behind, headway on outer halfway, no impression final furlong, 12th of 17, 5l behind Bond Boy (8-4) at Musselburgh 5f hcp 0-105 (2) gd in May.
Joseph Henry 9-1 (8-11) Disputing 2nd, chased winner 3f out, ridden and no impression over 1f out, no extra towards finish, 4th of 9, 2 1/2l behind Galeota (9-6) at Epsom 7f 3yo lst stk (1) gd.
Viking Spirit 14-1 (8-5) Held up, good headway on wide outside over 1f out, carried slightly right just inside final furlong, soon chased winner, ran on, 2nd of 19, 1 1/2l behind Eisteddfod (9-7) at Goodwood 6f hcp (2) gd in May.
Woodcote (IRE) 9-1 (8-11) Tracked leader to 2f out, gradually weakened, 8th of 10, 11l behind Andronikos (9-1) at Lingfield 6f 3yo lst stk (1) gs in Apr.
Salamanca 10-1 (9-0) Stumbled and went left start, soon chasing leaders, ridden over 2f out, weakened, 9th of 10, 24l behind Wise Dennis (9-3) at York 7f lst hcp (1) sft in May.
The Crooked Ring 16-1 (8-11) Mid-division, ridden and weakened 2f out, 9th of 10, 13l behind Andronikos (9-1) at Lingfield 6f 3yo lst stk (1) gs in Apr.
Briannsta (IRE) 10-1 (8-12) Tracked leader, ridden and led briefly well over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 7th of 12, 4 1/2l behind Resplendent Glory (9-1) at Newmarket 6f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) gs in May.
Dahteer (IRE) 16-1 (9-1) Held up in touch, ridden and effort 2f out, not pace to challenge over 1f out, kept on, 5th of 14, 4l behind Sky Crusader (8-7) at Epsom 7f 3yo hcp (2) gd.
Spirit of France (IRE) 11-1 (8-12) Close up, ridden and every chance over 1f out, staying on same pace when stumbled inside final furlong, 4th of 12, 3l behind Resplendent Glory (9-1) at Newmarket 6f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) gs in May.
Throw The Dice 10-1 (8-9) Prominent, led over 2f out, soon ridden, headed and not quicken inside final furlong, 2nd of 11, 3/4l behind Intoxicating (9-4) at Nottingham 6f 3yo hcp (3) gf in May.
Bold Marc (IRE) 5-1 (8-7) Behind and soon outpaced, headway 2f out, ridden over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong, 4th of 11, 2 1/2l behind Mimi Mouse (8-5) at Thirsk 5f 3yo hcp (2) gf in May.
Zomerlust 25-1 (9-0) Held up, ridden and headway over 1f out, edged left and ran on well inside final furlong, just failed, 2nd of 12, shd behind Turn On The Style (8-5) at Haydock 6f 3yo hcp (4) gs in May.
Premier Fantasy 14-1 (9-2) Steadied start, always behind, 11th of 14, 12l behind Briannsta (8-10) at Chester 6f 3yo hcp (3) gs in May.
Paris Bell 12-1 (9-4) Held up towards rear, headway over 1f out, ran on final furlong to lead close home, won at Ripon 6f 3yo hcp (4) sft in May beating Bold Haze (8-5) by a nk, 9 ran.
King's Gait 25-1 (9-2) Chased leaders, ridden and every chance over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 4th of 7, 4 1/2l behind Goodricke (8-13) at Nottingham 6f nov stk (D) gs in May '04.
Melalchrist 33-1 (9-4) Always behind far side, 10th of 19, 8l behind Tesary (8-11) at Ripon 6f 3yo hcp (4) hvy in Apr.
Tagula Sunrise (IRE) 20-1 (8-8) Behind, headway 2f out, not able to challenge, one pace final furlong, 4th of 14, 4l behind Sky Crusader (8-7) at Epsom 7f 3yo hcp (2) gd.
Orphan (IRE) 4-1 (8-10) Mid-division, hampered after 2f, ridden over 2f out, good headway final furlong, 3rd of 10, 3/4l behind Briannsta (9-9) at Hamilton 6f 3yo hcp (4) gd in May.
