mid-division, ridden 4f out, weakened
held up, switched right on headway 2f out, led 1f out, ridden and edged left, headed well inside
mid-division, effort and headway approaching 2f out, every chance when bumped inside final furlong, led well inside, all out
held up in touch on inside, ridden and headway over 2f out, hung right final furlong one pace
slowly into stride, switched left soon after start, towards rear, ridden 3f out, switched right approaching 2f out, hampered over 1f out, ran on
mid-division, ridden and weakened over 2f out
tracked leaders, ridden and every chance 2f out, weakened final furlong
mid-division, ridden 2f out, edged left over 1f out, switched right and kept on final furlong
slowly into stride, ridden over 2f out, plugged on
in touch and keen, effort approaching 2f out, weakened 1f out
led, headed over 6f out, led again 2f out, ridden and headed 1f out, weakened close home
keen tracking leaders, ridden 3f out, edged right and weakened 2f out, soon eased
tracked leader, led over 6f out, headed over 4f out, soon ridden and weakened over 2f out
held up in touch, ridden over 2f out, hampered approaching 1f out, not recover
with leader, led 4f out, ridden when headed 2f out, weakened quickly
In a truly wide open renewal, Craiova is taken to score ahead of a whole host of dangers, including last year's winner True Night, in-form Gilded Dancer, back-to-form Topton, and Najeebon to name but four. Barry Hills is in great form at present which augurs well for Craiova, the mount of Pat Eddery. The four-year-old, winner of three of his last four starts, is proven on soft ground, being a son of Turtle Island, and is definitely on the upgrade judged on latest efforts. Apart from a blip at Doncaster, he has paid to follow and will have no trouble moving back up to a mile. Gilded Dancer likewise has been in tip-top form and will line up chasing a four-timer. William Muir's inmate, whose main target is the Cambridgeshire, will act on the ground but would not want it any softer. True Night is eight pounds higher than when successful 12 months ago and looks to have been laid out for a repeat by Dandy Nichols who also runs My Raggedy Man and Sawwaah, both of whom are live dangers. Najeebon steps up to a mile for the first time, having finished a close sixth in the Buckingham Palace Stakes over seven furlongs here. He does however tend to give himself too much to do and may once again be running on at the finish. Topton is as tough as old boots and this course and distance winner looks sure to go well under Kevin Darley. He can run into a place at a decent price, but for the answer we return to Craiova.
