held up, ridden over 2f out, headway but no impression over 1f out, kept on same pace final furlong
chased leaders after 2f, effort 2f out, soon ridden and weakened quickly over 1f out
in touch, chased leaders 2f out, not quicken over 1f out, faded inside final furlong
steadied start, held up in rear, headway over 2f out, stayed on well final furlong, not reach leaders
soon led, ridden over 2f out, hard pressed final furlong, headed near finish
mid-division, ridden 3f out, soon lost place and weakened from 2f out
took keen hold, tracked leader early, under pressure 3f out, weakened over 2f out
held up behind, plenty to do and headway over 1f out, kept on final furlong, not trouble leaders
slowly into stride, pulled hard towards rear, ridden 3f out, never a factor
tracked leader over 5f out, stayed on steadily from over 1f out, pressed leader final furlong, led near finish
Binnion Bay looks sure to be a popular choice and is nominated as the selection in the opener, in-form rivals Lucius Verrus and Mulberry Lad are expected to give him plenty to think about, while Fairdonna has each-way claims if she copes with the surface. The last named does have scope for improvement and is getting the hang of things. She ran too freely when she last visited Lingfield and will be a threat now that she has learned to settle a little better. Mulberry Lad has form that ties in with a few of these and would be dangerous to ignore. He is arguably better over a slightly shorter trip though and he looks vulnerable to a strong finisher. Lucius Verrus is another that is in great heart and is also likely to take a fair chunk out of the betting market. However, his course record is nothing short of abysmal and, as he is now on career highest mark, he looks worth taking on. Which we do so with Binnion Bay, who has improved no end for the fitting of blinkers. The gelding has put together a nice little sequence of results of last and we fancy his late rattle will too hard for the others to resist today.
Lucius Verrus (USA) 11-4 (9-2) Behind, headway over 1f out, chased winner inside final furlong, kept on, 2nd of 10, 2l behind Came Back (9-0) at Southwell 6f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs.
Executive Paddy (IRE) 33-1 (8-12) Led after 2f, ridden and headed over 2f out, soon weakened, last of 14, 13l behind Wait For The Will (8-13) at Lingfield 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Jan.
Inwaan (IRE) 25-1 (8-7) In touch, ridden 3f out, soon beaten, last of 12, 8l behind Rebellious Spirit (9-2) at Kempton 1m hcp 0-75 (5) pol in Jan.
Binnion Bay (IRE) 12-1 (8-9) Held up in rear, last approaching 2f out, ran on well final furlong, not reached leaders, 4th of 12, 2l behind Im Ova Ere Dad (8-11) at Lingfield 1m hcp 0-65 (6) pol.
What Do You Know 33-1 (8-2) Keen, held up in touch, ridden 3f out, one pace, 6th of 10, 3l behind Silent Storm (9-0) at Lingfield 7f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Fairdonna 7-2 (8-12) Tracked leaders, pressed winner over 4f out, outpaced over 1f out, lost 2nd well inside final furlong, 3rd of 8, 8l behind Lopinot (9-3) at Kempton 7f mdn aut stk (6) pol in Jan.
Hotchpotch (USA) 7-1 (8-13) Chased leaders, ridden 2f out, gradually faded, 10th of 12, 5l behind Celtic Thunder (8-10) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Jan.
Mulberry Lad (IRE) 4-1jt-fav (8-8) Mid-division, headway on inside over 2f out, every chance over 1f out, one pace, 4th of 12, 2 1/2l behind Mister Benji (8-10) at W'hampton 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol.
Cool Tiger 6-1 (8-13) Started slowly, soon in touch, ridden and effort over 1f out, no extra final furlong, 6th of 10, 4l behind Binnion Bay (8-11) at Lingfield 7f hcp 0-60 (6) pol.
Cativo Cavallino 16-1 (9-3) Took keen hold, tracked leader, ridden over 3f out, soon outpaced, weakened over 1f out, eased final furlong, last of 7, 19l behind Night Cruise (9-3) at Kempton 1m 4f mdn aut stk (6) pol in Nov.
Up Tempo (IRE) 20-1 (9-0) Chased leaders, weakened over 1f out, 6th of 12, 9l behind Luckylover (9-2) at Southwell 1m hcp 0-65 (6) fbs in Jan.
Bucharest 20-1 (8-10) Led over 4f, weakened over 2f out, last of 9, 16l behind Vibrato (8-6) at Southwell 1m hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Dec.
