missed break, towards rear, never dangerous
missed break, always behind
in touch, pushed along halfway, ridden and hung left over 1f out, soon weakened
led, ridden halfway, headed near finish, no extra
slowly into stride, towards rear, pushed along halfway, one pace when hampered over 1f out
close up, ridden approaching final furlong, stayed on well to lead near finish
towards rear, pushed along halfway, kept on final furlong
towards rear, never dangerous
chased leaders, ridden halfway, kept on under pressure final furlong
Alan Berry's Kristikhab has claims on his best form but has been well beaten in his last two starts, in admittedly better company than today, and is probably best passed over in favour of Lorna Dune, who gets the vote over stablemate Pro Tempore. The selection has shown ability in all three starts so far and a reproduction of previous form may suffice in a race that may not take much winning. Lynda Ramsden is also responsible for Pro Tempore, who was well held on her Pontefract debut but may be better than she showed on that occasion. Howard Johnson has done reasonably well with his juveniles this term and Negas is surely better than his debut effort would suggest, while the newcomer Tahlal, a son of Dr Fong, would not need to be out of the ordinary to win first time out. Very few of these make much appeal in a race where Lorna Dune holds solid claims and gets the vote.