behind, ridden and headway on outside over 1f out, stayed on final furlong, never nearer
mid-division, outpaced well over 1f out, soon ridden, stayed on under pressure to chase leaders inside final furlong, no impression
mid-division, ridden over 1f out, soon weakened
tracked leader 2f, in touch, ridden and weakened over 1f out
behind, outpaced over 2f out, ridden and headway when not much room over 1f out, never on terms
held up in rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, ran on well inside final furlong to go 2nd near finish, not reached winner
mid-division on outside, ridden 2f out, weakened 1f out
mid-division, driven well over 1f out, stayed on under pressure final furlong, no impression
raced keenly, tracked leader after 2f, challenged over 1f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, kept on
chased leaders, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
always behind
chased leaders, ridden and effort over 1f out, stayed on same pace under pressure final furlong
led, ridden and hard pressed over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra and lost 2nd near finish
In contrast to the opener this is a really strong race and plenty have claims; from a lengthy shortlist we'll just side with EBRAAM ahead of Five Star Junior and Flipando, with Prime Defender possibly worth taking on at the likely odds. Sean Curran's gelding is a real standing dish around here but that's because Dunstall Park brings out the best in him; he's won four times at the track over both five and six furlongs. Having been outclassed behind Jaconet a couple of starts ago our selection ran with great credit here last time and looks sure to give backers a run for their money. Strictly speaking he's a bit to find with Flipando who could surprise a few at a price. David Barron's runner is best know for his exploits over a mile and indeed ran in the Lincoln last time, but he put in one of the most impressive sprint handicap displays of the winter when scoring here in February. It's fair to assume 8lbs more on his back wouldn't have stopped the horse that day, so this revised mark seems fair and if they go a gallop his claims would increase. Five Star Junior improved throughout the winter a year ago but seems to have found his level now and the handicapper knows all about him, but the same can be said of all of these and this horse is a six furlong specialist with a potent turn of foot when things drop right and it'd be unwise to rule him out. The classiest horse of the race is Prime Defender and Barry Hills' runner would look to have solid claims on the back of a fine seasonal debut but he doesn't win as often as he perhaps should and the stable have been struggling to saddle winners so far this season. He's opposed alongside Baldemar who represents red-hot connections but looks weighted to the hilt, whilst Beat The Bell is another we're happy to take on despite the strength of the jockey booking. Swiss Franc could surprise a few as he's a listed performer when on song but we'll return to Ebraam who has plenty in his favour.
Ceremonial Jade (UAE) 14-1 (9-5) Broke well, soon steadied to be held up in touch, effort over 1f out, no impresssion final furlong, 7th of 14, 2 3/4l behind Beauchamp Viceroy (9-10) at Kempton 7f hcp 0-105 (2) pol.
Prime Defender 12-1 (9-2) Held up, headway 2f out, ridden to press winner over 1f out, driven inside final furlong, not quicken close home, 2nd of 13, 1/2l behind Inxile (9-5) at Doncaster 6f Listed stks (1) sft in Mar.
Imprimis Tagula (IRE) 16-1 (8-11) Chased leaders, weakened well over 1f out, last of 9, 15l behind Flipando (8-7) at Wolverhampton 6f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Feb.
Swiss Franc 25-1 (9-2) Chased leaders, ridden and weakened 1f out, 10th of 13, 12l behind Inxile (9-5) at Doncaster 6f Listed stks (1) sft in Mar.
Five Star Junior (USA) 25-1 (9-4) Mid-division, progress to chase leaders over 1f out, soon ridden, one pace final furlong, 4th of 13, 3l behind Tiddliwinks (9-3) at Wolverhampton 6f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Mar.
Flipando (IRE) 11-4 (9-6) Held up in touch, ridden over 2f out soon weakened, 10th of 11, 6l behind Vitznau (9-2) at Wolverhampton 1m 1f hcp 0-105 (2) pol in Mar.
Ebraam (USA) 14-1 (9-0) Mid-division, headway on inside approaching final furlong, stayed on strongly, 3rd of 13, 2 3/4l behind Tiddliwinks (9-3) at Wolverhampton 6f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Mar.
Baldemar 16-1 (8-8) Towards rear, good headway over 1f out, ran on, 4th of 18, 3/4l behind Kaldoun Kingdom (9-3) at Doncaster 6f hcp 0-100 (2) gs in Mar.
Secret Asset (IRE) 6-1 (9-1) Chased leaders far side, weakened over 1f out, 11th of 15, 6l behind Judge 'n Jury (9-4) at Catterick 5f hcap (3) gs in Oct '08.
Fantasy Explorer 16-1 (8-7) Keen, held up in mid-division, switched right over 1f out, ridden and found nil, 13th of 18, 13l behind Kaldoun Kingdom (9-3) at Doncaster 6f hcp 0-100 (2) gs in Mar.
Crimson Fern (IRE) 50-1 (8-9) In rear, short lived effort over 1f out, last of 10, 10l behind Arganil (9-3) at Lingfield 5f Listed Stakes (4yo+) (1) pol in Mar.
Beat The Bell 4-1 (9-1) Made most, clear 4f out, driven edged left inside final furlong, unchallenged, won at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Mar beating Halsion Chancer (8-11) by 1l, 9 ran.
Fol Hollow (IRE) 7-1 (8-11) Led, ridden halfway, headed 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 13, 4 1/2l behind Arthur's Edge (9-2) at Southwell 5f hcp 0-95 (3) std in Mar.
