prominent, ridden 3f out, weakened 2f out
always behind
soon chased leader, led 2f out, no extra and headed final 50 yds, weakened and lost 2 places near finish
held up, headway over 1f out, bumped just inside final furlong, ran on to take 2nd final strides
in touch, hung left and weakened over 1f out
slowly into stride, headway on outside and hung left from over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong
took keen hold early, chased leaders, every chance 2f out, weakened final furlong
led to 2f out, soon weakened
always behind
held up in rear, headway over 1f out, ran on final furlong to lead final 50 yards
behind, headway on wide outside 2f out, hung left over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong
The combination of a low draw and course specialist jockey Seb Sanders doing the steering are big factors for Taranaki, who is selected ahead of old rival Iced Diamond and the in-form Beau Marche. The last named won well at Leicester 10 days ago and is obviously in good heart. However, he carries a 6lb penalty and has a stiffer test today. The fitting of blinkers seems to have revitalised him though and a bold bid cannot be ruled out. Iced Diamond has claims on these terms and is worth keeping a close eye on in the betting. However, he was 4.5 lengths adrift of the selection at Wolverhampton at the start of this month and has a bit to find if that form is taken on face value. Stamford Blue is another with claims in this company - although he doesn't look particularly well treated and needs to run to his best to figure. So with all things taken into account, Taranaki has a touch more going for him than most and, even though he doesn't win that often, he need only run to his recent form to be the one to beat in this company.
Measured Response 12-1 (8-12) Mid-division, ridden 2f out, headway approaching final furlong, held when not much room inside final furlong, 6th of 16, 3l behind Top Mark (9-7) at Chepstow 7f hcp 0-70 (5) gf.
Taranaki 4-1jt-fav (8-11) Chased leaders, ridden 2f out, stayed on final furlong, 3rd of 9, 1l behind Ivory Lace (9-0) at Brighton 7f hcp 0-70 (5) frm.
Cayman Breeze 8-1 (8-11) Mid-division, hard ridden 2f out, stayed on under pressure final furlong, 5th of 13, 4 1/2l behind Fajr (9-5) at Lingfield 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Feb.
Stamford Blue 6-1jt-fav (8-13) Slowly away, behind, headway on inside over 1f out, stayed on final furlong, never nearer, 7th of 15, 4 1/2l behind Lord Chamberlain (9-3) at Brighton 7f hcp 0-60 (6) gf in May.
Windy Prospect 16-1 (9-2) Went freely to post, slowly into stride, always towards rear, 13th of 18, 11l behind Joy And Pain (9-4) at Lingfield 7f hcp 0-60 (6) gf.
Beau Marche 8-1 (8-12) Went right start, chased leaders, ridden 2f out, driven to lead inside final furlong, won at Leicester 6f sll (5) gf beating Von Wessex (8-9) by 1 1/2l, 17 ran.
Iced Diamond (IRE) 4-1 (9-7) Slowly into stride, soon switched left, ridden well over 2f out, headway over 1f out, not trouble leaders, 4th of 11, 6l behind African Gift (9-7) at W'hampton 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol.
Icecap 33-1 (8-6) Raced stand's side, slowly into stride, held up in rear, ran on final furlong, nearest finish, 4th of 12, 2 1/2l behind Whitethorne (9-9) at Leicester 7f fll hcp (5) gf.
