towards rear, pushed along over 3f out, soon ridden, stayed on under pressure final furlong
mid-division, headway over 2f out, effort over 1f out, stayed on under pressure final furlong
mid-division, ridden 3f out, weakened 2f out
tracked leader, led over 2f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra
soon led, ridden and headed over 2f out, every chance approaching final furlong, weakened towards finish
towards rear, pushed along and headway over 2f out, soon ridden and no impression
tracked leaders, ridden and effort over 2f out, kept on one pace final furlong
mid-division, pushed along 3f out, effort 2f out, hung left and one pace from over 1f out
slowly into stride, towards rear, never dangerous
missed break badly, always behind
held up in touch, headway over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, led inside final furlong, soon clear
towards rear, never dangerous
in touch, effort over 2f out, no impression final furlong
held up in touch, ridden over 3f out, weakened quickly entering final furlong
The unexposed Polar Bear has gone up 10lbs for his win at Newmarket last month and, while there may be more improvement to come over today's trip, this represents a stiffer assignment for the William Haggas-trained gelding so the vote goes to True Night, who gets the verdict over Muchea. The selection has been threatening to win a decent handicap all term and eventually came good when getting up close home at Chester last time. A 4lb rise since is fair and, with Jamie Spencer booked and the stable of David Nicholls back in form, he looks worth a bet to follow up. Topweight Muchea, who opened his account for the campaign at Doncaster last week, represents another in-form yard (that of Mick Channon) but may struggle to concede weight away all round. Cardinal Venture also ran well at Town Moor but is probably better over seven furlongs, while Mark Johnston's Nuit Sombre may be better over further now. Jeremy Glover's Tagula Blue has been hammered by the handicap for his win at Nottingham last time, while the ground may not be quick enough for Summer View. The consistent Cherished Number and locally trained Linda Perrett's Ho Leng are others worthy of a mention but the vote goes to True Night, who has solid claims provided he can get a clear run.