held up in touch, ridden and unable to quicken from over 1f out, kept on, never dangerous
led, ridden 2f out, 2l clear 1f out, headed and kept on inside final furlong
taken to post early, keen early, soon tracked leader, ridden 2f out, kept on same pace
tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened final furlong
held up in touch, ridden over 1f out, headway to lead inside final furlong, ran on
MASTA PLASTA can land an interesting little finale. Icelandic and Peace Offering are expected to form the body of the opposition (the other two have a stiff test at the weights.) Peace Offering - a stablemate of the selection - has been a good money-spinner for his current yard. And never seems to run a bad race. His honesty is commendable but the fact that Adrian Nicholls prefers Masta Plasta is taken as a significant clue towards the stable's expectations. Icelandic has good form to his name and reverting to sprinting has not caused him any problems. His jockey helps with her 5lb claim and a big run can be expected. However, Masta Plasta has all the correct attributes to win a race like this and, having shown plenty of sparkle last term, he is fancied to carry on with the good work today.
Icelandic 11-1 (9-3) Held up towards rear, switched right and headway over 2f out, led on bit over 1f out, ran on well, won at Doncaster 6f Listed stks (1) sft in Nov beating Against The Grain (9-3) by 2 1/2l, 17 ran.
Masta Plasta (IRE) 10-3 (10-0) Chased leaders, 3rd halfway, improved to challenge 1f out, kept on final furlong, no extra close home, 3rd of 9, 3/4l behind Borderlescott (10-3) at Dundalk 5f lst stks 2yo pol in Oct.
Peace Offering (IRE) 9-2 (10-0) Led, ridden and challenged 1 1/2f out, headed 1f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 4th of 9, 1 1/4l behind Borderlescott (10-3) at Dundalk 5f lst stks 2yo pol in Oct.
Stoneacre Lad (IRE) 14-1 (8-9) Led, ridden, headed approaching 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 6th of 9, 4l behind Cheveton (9-3) at Southwell 5f hcp 0-100 (2) fbs in Mar.
Rowe Park 16-1 (9-0) Slowly away in rear, outpaced halfway, ridden and headway approaching 1f out, kept on same pace inside final furlong, 6th of 10, 2 3/4l behind Arganil (9-0) at Lingfield 5f Listed stks (1) pol in Mar.