made all, held on well towards finish
prominent, chance 3 out, outpaced next
towards rear, never dangerous
tracked leaders, ridden and weakened approaching 2 out
in touch, pushed along 3 out, ridden and weakened before next
held up towards rear, headway 3 out, soon ridden, staying on one pace when mistake last
mid-division, weakened approaching 4 out, tailed and fell 2 out
not fluent, always in rear
mid-division, pushed along when mistake 3 out, soon outpaced, stayed on flat
pulled hard in rear, headway 4 out, effort 2 out, not quickened
The course experience held by Diamond Mick can do him no harm as he bids to overcome his 7lb penalty for winning over course and distance last month. He looks the obvious one in the field and is expected to hold the edge over Nerone and Political Cruise, who appeal as the biggest dangers from the rest. That said, it will be interesting to see how the market speaks about Karelian, who makes his debut over hurdles today. The Linamix gelding was rated in the low seventies on the flat and should be able to pick up a race of this nature somewhere along the line. Still, it is safe to assume that he will come on for the run and it will probably reap a better dividend to just take notes today. Nerone, who was a major disappointment on his hurdles bow, will need to learn to settle before he can start to pay his way and, despite it being early days to be writing him off, he is never going to be a star performer in David Johnson's portfolio. Political Cruise, the only other runner in the field to have actually won a race, has been finding life hard since and he looks little more than plating class. Therefore, the most solid option is Diamond Mick, who acts well on the ground and obviously has nothing to fear from the track, or indeed many of today's opponents.
