disputed lead far side to halfway, weakened 3f out
close up far side, effort 3f out, led 2f out, headed and unable to quicken final 100 yards
disputed lead far side, headed 2f out, weakened over 1f out, eased when beaten final furlong
led stand side trio, driven well clear of that group over 1f out and kept on, but not pace of far side leaders
raced far side, held up, ridden and no headway final 2f
close up far side, ridden to challenge 2f out, driven and ran on to lead final 100 yards (hand-timed)
slowly into stride, soon prominent stand side, hard ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out
pulled hard, tracked far side leaders until pulled up and dismounted halfway
chased far side leaders, ridden and every chance 2f out, weakened tamely over 1f out
raced far side, held up in rear, effort over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
slowly into stride, held up in rear far side group, pushed along halfway, headway over 1f out, no impression final furlong
Ground Rules, Elrafa Mujahid, Resplendent Nova, Storm Centre and Hail The Chief all have chances in this wide-open looking handicap with a tentative vote going to Hail The Chief. The Richard Hannon-trained nine-year-old has been a consistent performer for his yard and he is gradually coming back down the weights. He is not as effective as he was in his younger days but he is still capable of landing a handicap like this, as he showed when scoring at Lingfield last December. Others worth noting include Resplendent Nova who represents the Terry mills yard. He is effective over this distance and has place claims today. Ground Rules has the benefit of Daryll Holland in the saddle but the burden of top-weight, he would also appear to be held by Elrafa Mujahid on their Wolverhampton- running earlier this month. Neil Callan¿s mount is another working his way back down the weights and he is just two pound higher than when winning at Southwell last November. He should go close here but Hail The Chief is a course and distance winner and he remains our choice.
Ground Rules (USA) 25-1 (8-10) Led after 1f, ridden over 2f out, headed final furlong, kept on, 5th of 12, 1 1/2l behind Merrymadcap (9-1) at W'hampton 1m 1f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Marker 14-1 (9-0) Chased leaders 4f, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened, last of 16, 9l behind Extremely Rare (9-0) at Windsor 6f hcp 0-75 (5) gd in Oct.
Corky (IRE) 50-1 (8-13) Always behind, 10th of 13, 10l behind Jakarmi (8-13) at W'hampton 1m 1f hcp 0-70 (5) pol.
Elrafa Mujahid 14-1 (8-8) Chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, every chance final furlong, not quicken, 2nd of 12, 1l behind Merrymadcap (9-1) at W'hampton 1m 1f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Resplendent Nova 5-1 (9-0) Led narrowly, ridden and headed just over 2f out, beaten when short of room and checked over 1f out, eased afterwards, last of 14, 10l behind Top Mark (8-6) at Lingfield 7f 3yo hcp (4) pol in Sept.
Dr Synn 20-1 (8-13) Raced centre, chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, stayed on same pace, 6th of 18, 2 1/2l behind Hurricane Coast (8-9) at Yarmouth 7f hcp 0-70 (5) hvy in Oct.
Hail The Chief 16-1 (9-11) Led, ridden over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, weakened, 5th of 9, 4l behind Cimyla (9-11) at W'hampton 1m 1f Cond Stakes (2) pol in Jan.
Seneschal 6-1 (8-13) Chased leaders, ridden and weakened over 1f out, 6th of 12, 7l behind Glad Big (9-1) at Lingfield 7f app hcp (5) pol in Feb.
Storm Centre 12-1 (9-1) Held up, headway on inside over 2f out, hard driven final furlong, kept on to press for 2nd near finish, no chance with winner, 3rd of 12, 2l behind Aggravation (9-3) at Lingfield 1m hcp 0-65 (6) pol.
Taranaki 8-1 (9-2) Held up, stayed on final furlong, no danger, 7th of 12, 4l behind White Bear (8-13) at Lingfield 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Feb.
Linda Green 7-2 (8-9) Held up, ridden over 2f out, stayed on one pace from 1f out, 6th of 10, 8l behind Scotland The Brave (8-8) at Ayr 7f fll hcp (5) hvy in Oct.
Kew The Music 13-2 (8-6) Slowly into stride, in rear, pushed along, ridden over 2f out, headway over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong, 5th of 12, 2 1/2l behind Mystic Man (9-4) at W'hampton 7f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
