behind, headway well over 1f out, stayed on strongly, not reached winner
led strong pace, headed and hung left inside final furlong, no extra
held up, never dangerous
held up in touch, ridden to challenge over 1f out, led inside final furlong, stayed on well
pulled hard, tracked leader, weakened final furlong
mid-division, some headway over 1f out, never dangerous
mid-division, headway over 2f out, edged left and hampered inside final furlong, soon weakened
prominent, lost place halfway
prominent, weakened 2f out
slowly into stride, hard driven and headway over 1f out, stayed on, never nearer
A desperate closing contest in which TOWN HOUSE is the call with Spic 'N Span and Lithaam as the alternatives. Brian Baugh's runner wasn't too far away at Yarmouth last time out and while a win return of 2 from 50 makes limited punting appeal to serious stakes, the horse is not without pace and this minimum trip should suit. Spic 'N Span should be popular with the locals. Although largely known on the artificial surfaces these days, he is not without ability on the turf. Lithaam landed a sizeable gamble at Nottingham. If he is out and away early, anything is possible. Sofinella is likely to be up there early though rarely wins. Weet A Surprise was rated almost a stone higher when trained by Reg Hollinshead. A couple of recent placed efforts are encouraging at this level. Bohobe was backed down from 25/1 into 7/1 and then delivered in a similar event at Salisbury. A watch of the market will not be wasted today. Not a race to linger too long over and Town House gets our vote.
Weet A Surprise 11-1 (8-6) Held up, raced towards centre, ridden halfway, headway over 1f out, hung left inside final furlong, kept on, 3rd of 10, 6l behind Jilly Why (8-10) at Nottingham 5f hcp 0-75 (5) hvy in Jul.
Spic 'n Span 15-2 (9-3) Led, ridden 2f out, headed, no extra inside final furlong, 4th of 13, 3 1/2l behind Guto (9-1) at Southwell 5f hcp 0-70 (5) fbs.
Bohobe (IRE) 10-1 (9-3) Always towards rear, 11th of 14, 11l behind Regal Royale (9-6) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-65 (6) gd.
Lithaam (IRE) 6-1 (9-1) Mid-division, ridden and headway over 1f out, kept on under pressure final furlong, not reached leaders, 4th of 16, 1 3/4l behind Littlemisssunshine (9-9) at Chepstow 5f hcp 0-65 (6) gf.
Monsieur Reynard 7-1 (8-11) Dwelt and went right start, behind, kept on inside final furlong, never troubled leaders, 8th of 14, 4 1/2l behind Mythical Blue (9-4) at Warwick 5f sell stks (6) gd.
One Way Ticket 11-1 (8-7) Tracked winner to 2f out, ridden, soon weakened, 6th of 11, 8l behind Multahab (9-2) at Brighton 5f hcp 0-65 (6) fm in Jul.
Meikle Barfil 40-1 (9-3) Chased leaders, ridden over 1f out, one pace, 6th of 14, 4 1/2l behind Mythical Blue (9-4) at Warwick 5f sell stks (6) gd.
Sofinella (IRE) 40-1 (8-5) Led, ridden and headed approaching final 1f, no extra inside final furlong, 5th of 13, 1 3/4l behind Guto (8-8) at Nottingham 5f hcp 0-70 (5) gs.
Town House 12-1 (8-4) Prominent, ridden and every chance over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, 3rd of 10, 1l behind Rough Rock (8-9) at Yarmouth 5f hcp 0-60 (6) gd in Jul.
Fern House (IRE) 100-1 (7-11) Started slowly, always detached in rear, last of 8, 14l behind Tony The Tap (9-8) at Chepstow 5f hcp 0-90 (3) gf.