held up in touch, chased winner 6th, not quicken approaching 2 out, closed and 2 lenghts down when mistake last, no impression after, kept on towards finish
never travelled well, pressed leader until mistake 2nd, soon dropped to rear, lost touch 6th, hit 3 out, went modest 4th flat
prominent, pressed leader 2nd, led approaching 6th, 4 lenghts clear 2 out, 2 lengths ahead last, edged right flat, driven out
held up in rear, headway approaching 3rd, closed on front pair 3 out, soon outpaced, weakened before 2 out
not always fluent, in touch, lost place 2nd, struggling after 6th, plugged on to go 3rd when hit 2 out, no chance with front pair
Nonrunner
This race has gone to some smart performers in recent years and ORZARE may just be another with Causeway King and Extreme Impact the obvious dangers. One can probably be added to that list and that's the Williams trained newcomer Santo Thomas who can only boast a modest level of form in France but is well related and a relatively expensive purchase at 38,000 euros. The market may be the best guide to expectations but he's going to need to be useful to get the better of Orzare who impressed on debut at Newbury in a race that had been won by Celestial Halo two years ago. The runner-up has won since to give the form a degree of respectability and he's been handed an entry in the Triumph. Causeway King impressed on good ground on debut but has been found wanting under a penalty twice since. There's little disgrace in those defeats and he meets his principal rivals on level weights but he may be more at home on quicker ground. Extreme Impact benefited from a drop in class to open his account at Chepstow from a fair yardstick with the pair clear whilst Diktalina showed improved form to win at Folkestone but the bare form doesn't amount to a great deal. She could only beat what was in front of her and did that well but we prefer Orzare.
Causeway King (USA) 6-4fav (11-5) Tracked leaders in 4th, headway to chase winner from 3 out, ridden before 2 out, no impression when hit last, 2nd of 8, 6l behind Barwell Bridge (10-12) at Ffos Las 2m 3yo nov hdl (4) gs in Dec.
Extreme Impact 6-1 (10-7) With leader, led after 4 out, headed next, not much room and switched left between last 2, soon ridden, rallied to lead again flat, held on, won at Chepstow 2m nov hdl (4) hvy in Jan beating Good Old Thyme (11-4) by 1/2l, 13 ran.
Orzare (IRE) 7-1 (10-12) Chased leaders, went 2nd 4th, led 3 out, ridden approaching last, driven and kept on under pressure run-in, won at Newbury 2m 3yo nov hdl (3) hvy in Dec beating Hunterview (10-12) by 3/4l, 11 ran.
Myshkin 16-1 (10-5) Prominent, hit 3rd, chased leader 5th, ridden after 2 out, soon weakened, blundered and unseated last, in a race won by Diktalina (10-5) at Folkestone 2m 1f Juvenile Maiden Hurdle (4yo) (4) sft in Jan, 8 ran.
Santo Thomas (FR) 16-1 (8-13) 6th of 7, 6l behind Ideology (8-13) at Saint-Cloud(FR) 1m stk sft in Jun (flat).
Theologist (IRE) 28-1 (11-0) Jumped slowly early, always behind, tailed off, 9th of 11, well behind Hunterview (10-11) at Warwick 2m Juvenile Maiden Hurdle (4yo) (4) sft in Jan.
Diktalina 11-4 (10-5) Tracked leaders, always travelling well, led approaching last, soon in command, won at Folkestone 2m 1f Juvenile Maiden Hurdle (4yo) (4) sft in Jan beating Open Day (10-12) by 9l, 8 ran.
