chased leader to 6f out, weakened rapidly, tailed off when virtually pulled up final 2f
held up in rear, good headway on rail from 3f out, not much room and switched left 2f out, chased winner over 1f out, strong challenge final furlong, just held
held up in mid-division, smooth headway on wide outside 4f out, tracked leader going well over 2f out, led on bit approaching final furlong, soon ridden and pressed inside final furlong,
led, pushed along 3f out, kept on until headed approaching final furlong, unable to quicken
in touch, ridden 3f out, soon weakened
tracked leaders, ridden to challenge over 2f out, outpaced by leading pair entering final furlong
in touch for 5f
mid-division, behind from halfway
in touch, pushed along halfway, weakened quickly over 3f out, tailed off
towards rear, struggling final 4f
mid-division until weakened quickly over 3f out, tailed off
chased leaders, ridden 3f out, weakened inside final 2f
slowly into stride, kept on under pressure from over 1f out, never dangerous
Harcourt is sure to have been well galloped for his return, and with Kieren Fallon on board, he is selected to beat the likes of Arry Dash, Classic Role and Blythe Knight to name but three. As ever, this looks a very competitive affair in which nothing can be backed with confidence, but in the belief that Paul Cole will have Harcourt tuned up, he is taken to land the spoils. He finished stone last in the November Handicap, but was reported to have hung badly from halfway, so that run is best forgotten, and he is best judged on his earlier performance in the Swaffham Handicap at Newmarket where he showed a very impressive turn of foot. The only slight question mark will be his fitness but other than that he has a sound chance. Arry Dash finished clear of the rest when chasing home Zero Tolerance at Haydock 11 days ago and looks as though he will strike winning form soon, while Classic Role has found one too good on each of his last two starts but will find this step up in class a bit hard to handle. In contrast, Blythe Knight has been keeping good company and was sent off favourite for the Roseberry at Kempton where he finished fourth. He remains a bit of an under achiever but has the ability to take a hand if things fall right. David Loder has his team in good shape so Bonecrusher may show more than he has, but for the winner we return to Harcourt.
