led, headed 3f out, lost place 2f out, weakened and eased over 1f out
tracked leaders, headway 4f out, led over 2f out, soon ridden and carried head high, headed over 1f out, stayed on final furlong, always held
tracked leader, led 3f out, ridden and headed over 2f out, stayed on same pace, no impression with leading pair
tracked leaders, driven 3f out, went 2nd 2f out, ridden to lead over 1f out, stayed on well final furlong
held up in rear, driven and effort on outside over 3f out, ridden 2f out, no impression from over 1f out
The five runners in the finale are separated by just 7lbs on official figures so it should be a tight contest but KING OF WANDS, the lowest rated runner, may be able to prevail from Drill Sergeant and Tactic. The selection showed progressive form over middle distances for John Dunlop last season in the style of so many horses that have been associated with the yard over the years. The new connections have done well with horses that they've taken on from the Sussex handler in the past and there should be more to come from King Of Wands. Spruce has been a real money spinner for this yard since arriving from France but it remains to be seen how much more progress he can make having made giant strides already. Drill Sergeant is a proven performer at this level and is never easy to pass but he could have some company out in front as the talented but quirky Tactic usually races close to the pace. Classic Punch is another that often likes to lead adding further confusion to the already murky mix but, in a race where none can be ruled out, everything could pan out nicely for King Of Wands.
Classic Punch (IRE) 9-2 (9-0) Led, pushed along 4f out, headed 3f out, weakened over 1f out, last of 4, 31l behind Chock A Block (8-7) at Newmarket 1m 4f Listed stks (1) gf in Oct.
Tactic Evensfav (8-13) Tracked leader, ridden to challenge over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, last of 4, 4l behind Once More Dubai (9-8) at Leicester 1m 4f cond Stakes (3) gf in Oct.
Drill Sergeant 15-2 (9-0) Prominent, ridden over 3f out, soon outpaced, weakened over 2f out, 7th of 10, 18l behind Opinion Poll (8-11) at Nottingham 1m 6f Listed Stakes (4yo+) (1) sft.
King of Wands 9-4 (8-7) Tracked leading trio, challenging from over 2f out until ridden and weakened over 1f out, 5th of 7, 7l behind Mourilyan (9-7) at Goodwood 1m 6f Listed stks gd in Aug.
Spruce (USA) 16-1 (8-12) In touch, tracked leaders over 3f out, chased winner over 2f out, challenged 1f out, edged left and soon every chance, not quicken near finish, 2nd of 7, nk behind Merchant Of Dubai (9-0) at Doncaster 1m 4f stks (2) gs in Mar.
