raced wide, held up towards rear, headway halfway, effort going easily 2f out, shaken up to lead over 1f out, soon cleared
raced wide, in touch, not quickened 2f out, ran on final furlong
chased leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened inside final furlong
held up in mid-division, ran on same pace final furlong
in mid-division, effort 2f out, ran on same pace final furlong
soon pressed leader, led over 2f out, headed over 1f out, one pace final furlong
led, ridden and headed over 2f out, weakened quickly over 1f out
held up in rear, effort on wide outside 2f out, driven and looked reluctant entering final furlong, kept on to take 2nd well inside final furlong
raced wide and always in rear
held up in touch, not clear run over 2f out, staying on one pace when not much room approaching final furlong
held up in rear, staying on one pace under pressure when hampered inside final furlong, ran on
pressed leader to halfway, weakened final furlong
Doubts can be raised about a number of these and a confident selection is not easy to pin down. However, Prince Aaron showed plenty of dash over course and distance last time and makes plenty of appeal as one of the least exposed runner in the field. Hout Bay, Lord Melbourne and Caustic Wit all come into the race on the back of wins and will not make it easy for the selection, while Soaked has gone well here in the past and is always dangerous to rule out, despite his tendency to run out of steam near the finish. This fast track will help him get home today, but he has never been at his best over six furlongs and is passed over today. In contrast, Prince Aaron has really started to come into himself of late and should make a bold bid to land the hat-trick today. Conrad Allen has already said that the four-year-old has strengthened up nicely over the last six months and he is the one to beat in division two of this tricky affair. Hout Bay is better than his record would suggest and he could be the one to prevail if Prince Aaron's old habit of starting slowly resurfaces for some reason.