held up towards rear, headway after 2 out, went 2nd flat, soon edged right, no impression on winner, kept on
raced keenly, tracked leaders, effort after 2 out, every chance before last, lost 2nd flat, no extra final 100 yards
mid-division, headway 2 out, led approaching last, readily drew clear final 150 yards, stayed on well
chased leaders, mistake and lost place 1st, not fluent 2nd, towards rear when hit 3 out, well beaten and hanging right after 2 out, tailed off
chased leader, not fluent 2 out, led before last, soon headed, weakened flat
chased leaders, not that fluent, weakened after 2 out
held up in rear, not fluent 1st, headway after not fluent 2 out, never on terms, well held 5th when not fluent last
led, slow and not fluent 4th, headed before last, soon weakened, tailed off
Elham Valley’s margin of victory at Sandown may have been exaggerated by conditions but he was still an impressive winner and there should be more to come. However, like Newcastle winner Son Of Red and the more-exposed Historic Heart, he has to give 3lb to ADAGIO who followed up a debut win at Warwick by chasing home the unbeaten Duffle Coat in a Grade 2 here four weeks ago. Shake A Leg is an interesting newcomer having switched to Dan Skelton as he won over 1m4f at Leopardstown in the summer so stamina shouldn’t be an issue.
Historic Heart (IRE) 25-1 (10-12) Held up rear of mid-division, jumped right 1st, closed before 4th, struggling from 3 out, kept on flat, no chance, 5th of 8, 17 1/4l behind Duffle Coat (11-3) at Cheltenham 2m (1) gs in Nov.
Son Of Red (IRE) 3-1 (10-12) Keen tracked leaders, every chance from 2 out, ridden to lead towards finish, won at Newcastle 2m (2) gd in Nov beating State Crown (10-12) by nk, 8 ran.
Adagio (GER) 6-1 (10-12) Held up in mid-division, headway 4th, led after 2 out, headed final 110 yards, held after, kept on, 2nd of 8, 5l behind Duffle Coat (11-3) at Cheltenham 2m (1) gs in Nov.
Blue Slate (IRE) 50-1 (11-0) Mid-division, steady headway before 3 out, jumped into lead on outside 3 out, pushed along after 2 out, joined last, kept on final 110 yards, gutsy, won at Leicester 2m mdn (4) sft in Nov beating Opine (11-0) by 1 1/4l, 10 ran.
Camouflaged (IRE) 6-1 (10-12) Chased leaders on outside, went 2nd 4 out until after next, lost modest 3rd and weakened quickly soon after, 6th of 8, 32l behind Orchestral Rain (11-4) at Huntingdon 2m (4) gd in Nov.
Pawpaw Evensfav (9-4) Close up, led approaching 2f out, ridden and ran on, won at Lingfield 1m 2f hcp (5) pol in Jun beating Lismore (8-7) by 1 1/4l, 9 ran.
Shake A Leg (IRE) 17-2 (10-3) Chased leaders, ridden in 4th 2f out, soon no impression on leaders, kept on same pace final furlong, 4th of 17, 6l behind Camorra (10-4) at Leopardstown 1m 4f hcp Yielding - Soft in Oct.
Simply True (IRE) 9-1 (9-0) Tracked leader on outer, progress after 3f, 2nd halfway, ridden and challenged leader 2f out, no impression and dropped to 4th over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 7th of 12, 9 3/4l behind Dance Jupiter (10-0) at Naas 1m 2f hcp sft in Oct.
Elham Valley (FR) 11-2 (11-0) Close up early before settling mid-division, improved on to heels of leaders 2 out, disputed lead last, quickened clear, won at Sandown 2m (2) hvy in Dec beating Hudson De Grugy (11-0) by 1 3/4l, 8 ran.
