chased leaders, under pressure 5f out, soon lost place, unseated rider 4f out
held up in rear, steady headway from halfway, tracked leader 5f out, led inside final 2f, driven clear final furlong, eased near finish
tracked leaders until weakened over 4f out
behind, pushed along, no chance with leaders final 4f
pulled hard, held up, headway from 4f out, chased leading pair 3f out, stumbled badly bend over 2f out, kept on to take 2nd just inside final furlong but no impression
ran green in touch, struggling halfway, soon tailed off
held up, ran green very wide bend over 9f out, struggling final 4f
chased leaders to 5f out, weakened quickly
soon led, under pressure and headed inside final 2f, stayed chasing winner but outpaced until lost 2nd just inside final furlong
Not a strong bumper and Lamp's Return looks to hold very strong claims, and gets the vote ahead of Very Special One. Second to Briery Fox on his seasonal return, the Alan King-trained gelding had earlier shown promise behind Countess Point on his debut in a similar race. That level of form stands out here and is hard to ignore. Turning to the others and Amyriseisuppose is Flat-bred but along fairly stout lines, Ceoperk is probably one to watch for in the betting, a similar comment applying to Lets Get Busy, whose stable is respected. Petrovka and Hunter Pudding, who was a fairly late foal, have something to like on breeding while Very Special One is archetypally bred for this game and comes here with pointing experience behind him. Overall, though, Lamp's Return's form stands out and he is the one to beat
