held up towards rear, smooth headway 2f out to lead over 1f out, ridden approaching final furlong, driven out
slowly into stride and held up towards rear, headway 2f out, ridden and every chance approaching final furlong, weakened inside final furlong
mid-division, headway over 1f out, one pace when hit in the face well inside final furlong
towards rear, never dangerous
in touch, led over 2f out, ridden and headed over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
mid-division, headway 2f out, ridden over 1f out, staying on when hampered inside final furlong, kept on
mid-division, headway 2f out, ridden and every chance entering final furlong, one pace inside final furlong
tracked leader, ridden 2f out, weakened final furlong
led, raced alone stand side, headed over 2f out, soon beaten
prominent, pushed along over 2f out, ridden and one pace final furlong
towards rear, never a factor
prominent, ridden 2f out, stayed on final furlong when hampered and weakened inside final furlong
The vote here goes to Polar Bear but he faces some strong opponents in the shape of, mainly, Quito, Mine and, possibly, El Coto. The course and distance winner Polar Bear certainly has to be on your shortlist, as he acts on soft, was placed at Group 2 level last October, seems to be fairly assessed and he should be sharper for his seasonal return. Quito is holding his form well, acts on the going and looks sure to run his usual genuine race, just a he did at Newmarket five days ago. Mine is just a pound below the mark from which he won at Royal Ascot last summer and, having soft-ground form, is another to consider. It will be interesting to see how the lightly-raced Imperial Stride fares, although we prefer others today, while Fine Silver disappointed last time after winning well at Newbury. The Cambridgeshire fourth Blue Spinnaker should pay his way again this season but others might be sharper today, and Kings Point has yet to recapture his high-class juvenile form. On balance, the others need to improve on what we have seen of late although El Coto could go well if back in the same form that saw him win Newbury's Spring Cup last April. Overall, though, we are happy to side with Polar Bear.
Quito (IRE) 4-1 Chased leaders, went 2nd over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, hung left inside final furlong, stayed on towards finish, 2nd of 5, 1l behind Welsh Emperor at Haydock 7f lst stk gs.
Polar Bear 9-2 In touch, ridden 2f out, no response, stayed on well inside final furlong, 3rd of 11, 1 1/2l behind Le Vie Dei Colori at Leicester 7f lst stk gs in Apr.
Mine (IRE) 11-10fav Held up towards rear, headway 2f out, ridden to lead approaching final furlong, headed inside final furlong, no extra close home, 2nd of 10, 3/4l behind Pentecost at Thirsk 1m stk sft in Apr.
Imperial Stride 8-1 Tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, weakened approaching final furlong, 9th of 11, 7l behind Sleeping Indian at Newmarket 1m lst stk (A1) gs in Oct.
Fine Silver (IRE) 7-2fav Held up in touch, ridden over 2f out, not quicken, weakened over 1f out, 12th of 17, 7l behind Momtic at Sandown 1m hcp gs in Apr.
Blue Spinnaker (IRE) 20-1 Chased leaders stand side, outpaced over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 11th of 22, 9l behind Stream of Gold at Doncaster 1m hcp gd in Apr.
Kings Point (IRE) 25-1 Broke well, soon steadied and held up, headway and not clear run 1f out, soon eased, 11th of 17, 4 1/2l behind Jedburgh at Newmarket 7f hcp gf in Apr.
Middlemarch (IRE) 14-1 Chased leaders early, ridden and weakened 4f out, virtually pulled up straight, tailed off, last of 8, 25l behind Grand Passion at Curragh 1m lst stk gd in Jun.
St Petersburg 5-1 Chased winner to over 2f out, weakened, last of 5, 11l behind Welsh Emperor at Haydock 7f lst stk gs.
Welcome Stranger 20-1 Tracked leaders until weakened over 1f out, 10th of 17, 6l behind Momtic at Sandown 1m hcp gs in Apr.
Audience 12-1 Towards rear, raced wide over 3f out, ridden and edged left 2f out, weakened final furlong, 8th of 14, 13l behind Ballast at Thirsk 1m hcp gs in Apr.
El Coto 6-1 Mid-division, pushed along over 4f out, effort over 2f out, one pace final furlong, 6th of 14, 12l behind Ballast at Thirsk 1m hcp gs in Apr.
