prominent, ridden and every chance inside final furlong, no extra towards finish
tracked leaders, led over 1f out and going well, ridden and under pressure inside final furlong, kept on well towards finish
held up, towards rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, no impression
steadied start, held up, in rear, headway over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong
held up, towards rear, ridden over 1f out, kept on same pace inside final furlong
held up, mid-division, ridden and headway over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
led, headed over 1f out, soon weakened
held up, towards rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, chased leading pair well inside final furlong, always held
mid-division, one pace from over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
tracked leader and keen, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
tracked leaders, weakened over 2f out
steadied start, held up, mid-division, ridden over 1f out, soon weakened
slowly into stride, held up, towards rear, ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out
HARTING HILL appreciated the drop to this trip when scoring last time and can follow up from Sendreni and Diane's Choice. Marcus Tregoning doesn't keep many in training through the winter but the decision to do so with this gelding paid off when he scored over course and distance in December. A well-backed favourite that day, the horse had plenty go against him but still scored with something in hand and can be strongly fancied to do so once more, with a 3lb rise likely to prove a rare act of generosity on the part of the handicapper. Sendreni is another who was well supported last time, the difference being this one trailed home in ninth. He's now 11lb below his last winning mark on the turf and although he's perhaps not as good on artificial surfaces a win at Wolverhampton off 54 suggested this rating of 58 would still allow for further success. We expect that to be the case in the coming weeks but today he meets a rival who could be better than this grade. Diane's Choice is better known for her exploits over sprint trips and it has to be a concern she's yet to win over this far, but the mare has put up a couple of decent efforts of late and remains competitively treated and she'll go down fighting. Contrastingly, Kielty's Folly has won only one race and that was beyond a mile so whether he'll have the speed for this is open to debate - our feeling is that he will be outpaced and consequently struggle. Count Ceprano hasn't won since 2008 and although his latest effort was a step back in the right direction the feeling is he'll need dropping a couple of pounds, so of more interest is Signora Frasi who remains unexposed, has won here and could bounce back from a disappointing run last time. Fortezza remains of some interest for Chris Wall but she'd only become a serious player if strong support arrived, the 11-year-old Grizedale will need to be found a weaker race if he's to win again and King's Sabre has had 21 tries without success and will in all probability make it 22 here. This is a poor handicap but it features a horse that remains capable of progressing to a higher level; that horse is Harting Hill.
Sendreni (FR) 3-1fav (9-4) Soon led, ridden and headed well over 1f out, weakened over 1f out, eased when no chance final furlong, 9th of 10, 14l behind Straight Face (8-13) at Wolverhampton 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Jan.
Harting Hill 9-4fav (9-0) Tracked leaders, switched left 2f out, led entering final furlong, ridden out, won at Kempton 7f stks 0-55 (6) pol in Dec beating Cavalry Guard (8-9) by 1 1/2l, 13 ran.
Count Ceprano (IRE) 16-1 (8-8) In rear, ridden and ran on final furlong, not reached leaders, 6th of 12, 4l behind Stanley Goodspeed (9-2) at Lingfield 7f app hcp 0-65 (6) pol.
Signora Frasi (IRE) 8-1 (8-7) Took keen hold, chased leaders, ridden 2f out, ridden and losing place when hampered inside final furlong, last of 11, 8l behind Headache (8-13) at Wolverhampton 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Jan.
Diane's Choice 10-1 (9-1) Took keen hold, held up towards rear, kept on inside final furlong, never dangerous, 6th of 12, 8l behind Munich (9-0) at Kempton 7f hcp (0-55) (6) pol in Jan.
Kielty's Folly 3-1fav (8-12) Keen, held up in rear, ridden and headway approaching 2f out, kept on one pace final furlong, 5th of 10, 2 1/2l behind The City Kid (8-10) at Wolverhampton 1m 1f hcp (0-55) (6) pol in Jan.
King's Sabre 16-1 (8-1) Slowly into stride, always behind, 9th of 10, 10l behind Young Gladiator (9-1) at Southwell 6f hcp 0-65 (6) fbs.
Eager To Bow (IRE) 33-1 (8-11) Tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, weakened 1f out, 6th of 8, 16l behind Orangeleg (8-2) at Brighton 7f 3yo hcp 0-65 (6) fm in Jul.
Fortezza 20-1 (8-8) Always behind, 8th of 11, 5l behind Know No Fear (8-11) at Lingfield 6f app hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Jan.
Grizedale (IRE) 14-1 (8-7) Pulled hard in rear, not clear run well over 2f out, headway over 1f out, no impression, 6th of 13, 4 1/2l behind Copper King (9-2) at Kempton 7f hcp 0-50 (7) pol.
Kims Rose (IRE) 28-1 (8-9) Took keen hold, chased leaders, pushed along 3f out, soon weakened, 11th of 13, 10l behind King's Jester (8-7) at Wolverhampton 1m 1f hcp 0-50 (7) pol in Jan.
Affirmatively 40-1 (9-12) Slowly in to stride, ridden 2f out, never on terms, 10th of 12, 7l behind Miss Firefly (10-6) at Wolverhampton 6f am hcp 0-55 (6) pol.
Hilltop Legacy 25-1 (8-11) Held up, ridden over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 6th of 9, 2l behind Takaamul (8-9) at Yarmouth 7f app hcp (5) gd in Aug.
Royal Envoy (IRE) 20-1 (8-13) Slowly away, always in rear, 10th of 12, 9l behind Bishopbriggs (9-2) at Wolverhampton 6f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Jan.
