close up and keen, soon led, headed over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
tracked leaders, every chance over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
held up in rear, ridden 5f out, soon weakened, tailed off
towards rear, ridden and outpaced over 3f out, plugged on final furlong
led early, close up, ridden and outpaced over 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong
Low-key yet competitive fare with none of the septet easily ruled out. However, Kenny's Girl has yet to operate on Fibresand, On The Cusp is not the easiest to catch right and there's insufficient between Geeaitch and Encore Une Fois on their recent running to arrive at a strong conclusion. Solarmaite perhaps needs to up his game to really contend here but does receive weight all round, while Samoset clearly has ability despite an inconsistent profile. Therefore the choice is AFRO, who remains lightly-raced and open to definite improvement. This course winner should also appreciate the return to Fibresand after a mid-division turf finish at Windsor last time.
On The Cusp (IRE) 3-1 (9-10) Raced keenly, soon led, joined 2f out, ridden and headed over 1f out, lost 2nd inside final furlong, kept on same pace in 3rd, 3rd of 6, 1l behind Aureate (8-4) at Southwell 1m 4f app hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Mar.
Afro 8-1 (8-7) Held up towards rear, ridden and struggling over 4f out, never in contention, 7th of 11, 14l behind Civil War (8-12) at Windsor 1m 4f hcp 0-75 (5) sft.
Kenny's Girl (IRE) 5-2 (8-12) Tracked leader, joined leader halfway, led 3f out, ridden 2f out, headed inside final furlong, kept on one pace, 2nd of 5, 4l behind Dazzling Valentine (8-4) at Kempton 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Mar.
Geeaitch 7-4fav (9-7) Raced wide in touch, headway to track leaders over 5f out, ridden to lead over 1f out, driven out, won at Southwell 1m 3f hcp (0-55) (6) fbs beating Encore Un Fois (9-6) by 1 1/4l, 9 ran.
Samoset 11-4 (9-3) Raced wide in touch in rear, ridden over 3f out, weakened 2f out, 6th of 7, 23l behind Kingscombe (9-3) at Southwell 1m 4f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Feb.
Encore Un Fois 16-1 (9-6) Keen towards rear, ridden 4f out, headway under pressure over 2f out, driven and switched left over 1f out, stayed on to go 2nd inside final furlong, 2nd of 9, 1 1/4l behind Geeaitch (9-7) at Southwell 1m 3f hcp (0-55) (6) fbs.
Solarmaite 8-1 (8-12) Soon led, ridden and headed 3f out, kept on same pace, 4th of 8, 10l behind Hail Promenader (9-7) at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Mar.