always prominent, ridden to lead well over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, ran on
held up in touch, ridden and every chance from over 1f out, not quicken inside final furlong
led for 1f, chased leader, led 4f out, ridden and headed over 2f out, soon weakened
tracked leader, led over 2f out, headed well over 1f out, soon weakened
held up, ridden and headway 2f out, not pace to challenge
held up, good headway on inside well over 1f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, all out
stumbled start, held up, ridden 2f out, never on terms
led after 1f, pushed along and headed 4f out, weakened quickly over 2f out
A competitive contest with plenty of in-form animals taking part and while the likes of Clever Clogs and Bahlino deserve plenty of respect the choice has to be Alkaased after his improved effort at Headquarters recently. The step up in trip was clearly beneficial to him and although it is a slight concern to see him return to this trip, he is a horse who likes to race up with the pace and hopefully he will have plenty of use made of him here. Clever Clogs, apart from being outclassed, but not disgraced in Listed company, has proved wonderfully consistent this year. It could be significant that Ed Dunlop's filly takes up this option, under a small penalty, rather than wait for a tougher event at Newmarket later in the week. Alasil appreciated the return to front-running tactics at Newmarket last time and if similar tactics are employed here, could prove difficult to pass. Bahlino has held his form well throughout the year, but keeps climbing in the weights without actually winning. He is too consistent for his own good. This is a step up in class for Glencoyle, while Dovedon Hero is well held by the selection and will need to find vast improvement for the fitting of blinkers for the first time. Neither Beau Artiste or East Flares should be good enough at this level, while Sovereign Dreamer looks to have something to prove off a 7lbs higher mark than when last successful at Newcastle. So, although this is a hot little contest, Alkaased is clearly on the upgrade and gets the vote.
