ran 4th, went 3rd 2f out and ridden over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong
tracked leader, 2nd halfway, progress to lead over 5f out, ridden and strongly pressed 2f out, soon headed, under pressure and kept on one pace inside final furlong
soon led, ran freely, headed over 5f out, pushed along over 3f out and no extra under 2f out, weakened
chased leaders, 3rd halfway, progress in 2nd over 2f out, led under 2f out and 1 length lead 1f out, ridden and kept on inside final furlong
Three-year-olds have an excellent record in this and STELLAR MASS should keep up the sequence. Jim Bolger's colt is a slow-burner as he disappointed in maidens before completing a double when stepped up to this trip here and at the Curragh. He was a 33/1 chance for the Irish Derby but ran much better than expected in third behind Harzand and Idaho and won't be facing anything of their calibre here. Benkei is the only one of these to have won over the trip which he did in a handicap on soft ground at Bellewstown but Dermot Weld's USA import Charming Kitten scored over two miles at Gulfstream in January so Pat Smullen is likely to make this a stamina test. Intisari carried a big weight to victory in a Leopardstown handicap over 1m4f and looks the type to do well over this sort of trip as does Fact Or Folklore, who has been contesting Listed races since completing a double in handicaps last summer.
Charming Kitten (USA) 2-5fav (8-11) Angled out1/4, bid1/16, won at Gulfstream 2m stks gd in Jan beating Xaverian (8-5) by 1 1/2l, 9 ran.
Benkei (IRE) 9-4fav (10-0) Led briefly early, soon raced in 2nd, led over 3f out, strongly pressed 2f out, soon joined, regained lead and stayed on best close home, won at Bellewstown 1m 6f hcp sft in Jun beating Sweet Cherry (8-4) by hd, 7 ran.
Fact Or Folklore (IRE) 6-1 (9-0) Led, pushed along approaching straight and attempted to assert, headed under 1f out, no impression, one pace, 2nd of 5, 4 1/2l behind Order Of St George (9-12) at Leopardstown 1m 6f lst stks (1) gf in Jun.
Stellar Mass (IRE) 33-1 (9-0) Rear of mid-division, 6th halfway, progress in 4th 2f out and ridden to go 3rd 1f out, no impression on principals inside final furlong, kept on one pace, 3rd of 9, 4 1/4l behind Harzand (9-0) at Curragh 1m 4f Grp 1 Yielding in Jun.
Intisari (IRE) 16-1 (10-0) Mid-division, ridden into 6th 2f out, stayed on into 3rd under 1f out, kept on final furlong into 2nd closing stages, no impression on winner, 2nd of 13, 2 1/2l behind Avenante (9-4) at Curragh 1m 4f hcp Good - Yielding in Jun.
