led stand side group throughout, ridden over 1f out, kept on well, not pace of far side leaders final furlong
raced stand side, held up, headway 3f out, ridden when hampered just inside final 2f, soon weakened
led far side group, ridden over 2f out, headed 1f out, soon outpaced but held on to hold 2nd
chased far side leaders, ridden 2f out, no extra inside final furlong
chased far side leader until weakened rapidly over 1f out
raced far side, behind final 3f
raced stand side, held up in touch, ridden over 2f out, stayed on one pace final furlong, no chance with far side
raced far side, held up, effort and hard ridden 2f out, soon no impression
raced stand side, held up in rear, not clear run from 2f out until switched right and ran on final furlong, nearest finish
raced stand side, held up in touch, ridden over 2f out, kept on final furlong, never dangerous
chased leader centre, never on terms, well behind final 2f
raced stand side, always behind
raced stand side, behind, hampered just inside final 2f, no chance after
raced far side, chased leaders until ridden and weakened 2f out
raced far side, held up in rear, shaken up and headway over 1f out, one pace inside final furlong
raced far side, held up in rear, some late headway final furlong
raced far side, chased leaders until ridden and weakened 3f out
raced stand side, chased leader until weakened quickly over 2f out
raced stand side, prominent until weakened 2f out
raced stand side, chased leaders until ridden and weakened 2f out
raced centre and well on terms until outpaced by far side leaders inside final furlong
raced stand side, held up towards rear, ridden and not clear run on rail over 2f out, never dangerous after
raced far side, held up in rear, good headway inside final 2f, led 1f out, quickened and soon clear
raced stand side, held up in rear, headway 2f out, ridden to chase group leader just inside final furlong, ran on, no chance with far side leaders
raced stand side, chased leaders until weakened 2f out
raced far side, held up in rear, headway over 2f out, chased leaders over 1f out, ran on
raced stand side, held up in mid-division, not clear run well over 1f out, behind and never dangerous after
Top weight for New Seeker may not be as big a burden as it first appears in this company and he is just fancied to land a hat-trick of course victories if he can stay out of trouble today. The likes of Mutawaqed, Uhoomagoo and Selective are others that should be suited by the hustle and bustle of this large field and are viable alternatives for each-way players. Meanwhile it will also be dangerous to rule out bold bids from St Andrews and Maghanim, who have both overcome training problems and would not be risked in such a competitive heat if they had not shown signs that they were up to the task. The James Fanshawe-trained Unscrupulous is another to have a look at, as he is very lightly weighted for a horse of his potential and he is sure to strip fitter after last month's return to racing. In contrast to both Master Robbie and Atavus, who have the air of 'been there done that' and look sure to run their usual races. Of the main danger to the selection though: Mutawaqed has often threatened to deliver in these cavalry charges and is a fearless individual that will be played late if he runs true to his form. However, his style of running will always leave you with your heart in your mouth and he has fallen just short of the mark on too many occasions to recommend as win only selection today. The same has to be said of Uhoomagoo, whose tendency to miss the kick could again be his undoing if he is slowly away this afternoon. Whereas Selective has yet to show the same sparkle he displayed when finishing second in the Victoria Cup last year and may also find a few too good. Which brings us back to New Seeker, who confirmed his love of this course by winning both the Britannia and Tote International Stakes with a fair bit in hand last season. Now on a mark of 103, New Seeker does have more on his plate in being kept to this level and will really need to post a career best effort to prevail. However, to counterbalance that, he is still very lightly raced, has the best of the draw and there are no worries about him handling the ground - which paves the way for another fruitful visit to Royal Ascot for all concerned with New Seeker.
