held up 4th, headway to chase leader halfway, ridden over 3f out, gradually lost place and weakened quickly over 1f out
led, ridden over 2f out, headed inside final furlong and soon outpaced by winner
tracked leaders, went 2nd over 2f out, going well, shaken up over 1f out, led inside final furlong and soon asserted
held up last in touch, kept on to take 3rd 2f out, no chance with leading pair
tracked leaders to halfway, ridden along 4f out, out pace over 2f out
Geordieland will hopefully be fit enough to bounce back and land this Listed contest, with Steppe Dancer, Dryandra and Bahar Shumaal all expected to give a good account. Geordieland was a class horse when trained in France, numbering among his five successes the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly in 2005. Since moving to Jamie Osborne, the six-year-old has finished second in the Goodwood Cup, fourth in the Ebor, and even had a crack at the Melbourne Cup. Sure to make his mark in top staying company this year, he should readily outclass today's rivals, even without a run since his trip down under. Steppe Dancer has come a long way since winning a maiden here last May, tackling Group and Listed opponents on the odd occasion. However, he is really just a decent handicapper, and will do well to beat the selection on today's terms. Dryanra could not win a class 4 handicap on his first ever visit across the Irish Sea, so what chance as he got of turning over the favourite? Bahar Shumaal has struggled when taken out of handicap company, and quite simply, if Geordieland is anywhere near fit, he should easily come out on top.
Bahar Shumaal (IRE) 7-2 (9-4) Mid-division, ridden over 2f out, no impression, 5th of 7, 4l behind Very Wise (8-7) at Lingfield 1m 2f hcp 0-100 (2) pol in Jan.
Geordieland (FR) 15-1 (8-7) Dropped back halfway, broke blood vessel, 18th of 23, 28l behind Delta Blues (8-11) at Flemington 2m Gr1 hcp (1) gd in Nov.
Steppe Dancer (IRE) 7-2 (8-7) In touch, ridden over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, 4th of 6, 3/4l behind Foxhaven (9-1) at Chester 1m 4f lst stk (1) gf in Sept.
Dryandra (IRE) 12-1 (8-4) Took keen hold towards rear, headway over 3f out, ridden over 2f out, stayed on well to snatch 3rd, no chance with winner, 3rd of 10, 2 1/2l behind Sgt Schultz (8-10) at Lingfield 1m 4f hcp 0-85 (4) pol.
Hovering (IRE) 16-1 (8-12) Soon 2nd, led entering straight, headed 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 9th of 12, 5l behind Blessyourpinksox (9-8) at Curragh 1m 1f lst fll stk (1) gf in Aug.