tracked leader, ridden to challenge 3f out, ridden 2f out, soon beaten
tracked leaders, headway to lead halfway, pushed along 4f out, headed over 3f out, rallying when not much room 2f out, stayed on to take 2nd approaching fnal furlong
led to halfway, stayed tracking leader, led over 3f out, in command final 2f, stayed on well
In this four-runner affair, the vote goes to Sir Monty. Sir Monty looked to be going the right way courtesy of his Newmarket win last time and, raised just two pounds for that success, he looks set to go well again. A possible downside is that he won on soft that day but, on the upside, he is a course and distance winner. Theatre does not win too often but he is on a competitive mark and who knows how this race will pan out tactically, while the step up to two miles could well bring improvement from Altenburg, but Twill looks likely to be the outsider, and rightly so. Once again, then, the selection is Sir Monty.
Sir Monty (USA) 5-2fav (9-8) Close up, led 4f out, hung left and headed over 1f out, ridden to lead again and edged right inside final furlong, won at Newmarket 2m hcp 0-90 (3) gd in Aug beating Mersey Sound (9-4) by 3/4l, 6 ran.
Theatre (USA) 16-1 (8-7) Held up in rear, steady headway over 3f out, not much room and switched left over 1f out, chased winner inside final furlong, stayed on, 2nd of 20, nk behind Key Time (9-1) at Goodwood 2m 5f hcp 0-95 (2) gf in Aug.
Twill (IRE) 13-2 (8-9) Led, ridden over 2f out, headed over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 7th of 8, 9l behind Establishment (9-6) at Chester 2m hcp 0-85 (4) gd in Aug.
Altenburg (FR) 25-1 (9-7) Held up in rear, headway over 2f out, stayed on steadily from over 1f out, not trouble first two, 3rd of 12, 5l behind Stoop To Conquer (9-4) at Newbury 1m 5f hcp 0-90 (3) gd in Aug.
