soon led, pressed entering final furlong, no extra when headed towards finish
settled in rear, ridden 5f out, never a factor
held up mid-division, headway from 4f out, ran green, hung left from 3f out, ridden to chase leader over 1f out, stayed on to lead towards finish
in touch, ridden to chase leader briefly 2f out, not quicken over 1f out, one pace final furlong
mid-division, ridden over 3f out, soon outpaced
tracked leader 3f, stayed prominent, ridden over 3f out, soon lost place, weakened over 2f out
mid-division, reminders after 2f, no danger when ridden, weakened over 2f out
held up in rear, ridden, lost touch over 4f out, soon tailed off
tracked leaders, went 2nd after 3f, under pressure over 2f out, weakened well over 1f out
This is likely to revolve around Hasayaz and Ermine Sea, with the former edging preference this time around. Monets Masterpiece makes some appeal out of the rest, but the fitting of headgear for the first time and a long absence to overcome conspire against the son of Quiet American on his seasonal debut. Ermine Sea easily coped with the challenge of Vettori Dancer when they encountered each other at Yarmouth a fortnight ago and should have little trouble confirming his superiority. He can be expected to be a lot sharper for the outing and it is hard to envisage that he will not be in the thick of the action as the race develops. However, Sir Michael Stoute has a good handle to the worth of his recent form and looks to have placed Hasayaz to good effect today. The Pontefract race he finished third in has already produced a winner off a mark of 85 and, with that effort setting a good standard, Hasayaz has to be the pick this time around.
Ermine Sea 8-1 (8-9) Held up mid-division, headway to chase leaders over 3f out, ridden to lead 2f out, headed and no extra inside final furlong, 2nd of 11, 1/2l behind Duty (8-9) at Yarmouth 1m 3f mdn stk (4) gf.
Galibard (IRE) 16-1 (9-3) Held up, ridden over 4f out, weakened 2f out, 6th of 7, 24l behind Degas Art (9-3) at Salisbury 1m 4f 3yo mdn (4) frm.
Hasayaz (IRE) 5-1 (9-3) Started slowly, soon mid-division, headway 2f out, ridden and one pace final furlong, 3rd of 12, 8l behind Balanced Budget (9-3) at Pontefract 1m 2f 3yo mdn (5) gf.
Monets Masterpiece (USA) 3-1fav (9-0) Keen, tracked leaders, ridden to chase winner over 2f out, no extra inside final furlong, 4th of 12, 3/4l behind Under The Rainbow (8-9) at Leicester 1m 2yo mdn (4) gf in Oct.
Project Sunshine (GER) 20-1 (9-3) Slowly into stride, always behind, 6th of 7, 18l behind Barodine (9-3) at Warwick 1m 3f 3yo mdn (4) gf.
Fondness 7-1 (8-12) Mid-division, shaken up on outside over 2f out, soon not quicken, beaten, 7th of 17, 8l behind Masterofthecourt (9-3) at Windsor 1m 2f 3yo mdn aut (5) gf.
Raffiene (IRE) Spectrum filly, half-sister to winners up to 1m7f and over hurdles including the very smart Alchimiste.
Ship Mate (IRE) 25-1 (9-0) Prominent, mainly 3rd, no impression in 4th and kept on same pace from over 1f out, 4th of 13, 2 1/2l behind Strath Gallant (9-5) at Clonmel 1m 2f 3yo mdn gd.
