chased leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened approaching final furlong
pulled hard behind leaders, chased winner 2f out, one pace and no impression final furlong
took keen hold early, prominent until ridden and outpaced over 2f out, kept on final furlong
made all, ridden 2f out, driven and ran on well final furlong
took keen hold in touch, hard ridden and not quicken 3f out, soon no impression leaders
chased winner to 2f out, weakened inside final furlong
in touch, ridden and outpaced 2f out, soon weakened
raced on outer towards rear, weakened 3f out
behind, effort on wide outside and shaken up over 1f out, never near leaders
slowly into stride, behind, some late moderate headway final furlong, no danger
in touch, ridden 2f out, weakened approaching final furlong
Presto Shinko gets our vote here ahead of Finders Keepers and Monte Major. The Richard Hannon-trained selection has to be seriously considered on his juvenile form and, while it is difficult to know just how much horses will or will not progress from two to three years of age, this one is likely to be pretty straight for his seasonal return and ought to go well. Finders Keepers also showed plenty of promise as a juvenile and this well-related Ed Dunlop-trained gelding should improve at this type of trip this season and Monte Major was an expensive flop at Southwell last time but has form enough to be competitive back at a track he likes. Of the others, Instant Recall has likeable breeding but will probably prove to be better over a longer trip in time. The same can be said of his stablemate Cool Clear Water, a half-sister to Zindabad, and a similar comment also applies to Mick Channon's Hana Dee, who also showed promise as a juvenile. Geoff Wragg's Pick A Berry is another that should improve in time, while Saintly Scholar, an expensive purchase and a stablemate of Finders Keepers, showed very little on her sole run to date. Overall, it's an interesting contest, and one that can go to Presto Shinko.
