in touch, ridden over 3f out, headway to lead briefly 2f out, soon one pace
mid-division and keen early, headway to lead over 4f out, ridden over 3f out, headed 2f out and soon weakened
towards rear and keen early, smooth headway to lead 2f out, soon ridden and headed entering final furlong, no extra
held up in touch, ridden 3f out, headway to lead entering final furlong and kept on well
chased leaders, ridden over 3f out, kept on one pace
Although the presence of Derby entry Highest Return clouds the picture a little, there was a lot to like about the way that Venetian King recovered from a slow start on his debut and he is expected to be hard to beat here. The Graham Wylie-owned colt stumbled when exiting the stalls at York and did well to finish as close as he did to Blues And Royals, the eventual winner, who subsequently ran with plenty of credit on his only other previous start. Tom Forest is also of interest here as he has done very little wrong in his three other starts and has slowly been getting the hang of things. His trainer, who is better know for his string of jumpers, will be able to gauge a true level for his charge after this and a minor nursery could be his for the taking if the opportunity comes his way. However, like King Henrik and Ballycroy Lad, he could be vulnerable to a more precocious type today and is probably best watched. A market move for Highest Return will give an obvious clue to his chance as he is probably in a minority of youngsters from his yard that have Epsom factored into their long-term plans at this stage. His sire, Theatrical, has been a good source of two-year-old winners over the last five years and, considering Mark Johnston's record with runners of his type already this season, he has to be given the utmost respect. However, Venetian King should be a little wiser as to what is required from him this time around and, with this extra furlong sure to help him get into a good stride, he can deliver on the promise shown on his debut run.
