prominent on outside, weakened inside final 2f
soon led, pushed 2 lengths clear 2f out, headed 1f out, one pace final furlong
in mid-division, headway to chase leaders over 3f out, kept on same pace final 2f
tracked leader to over 2f out, weakened rapidly
led early, prominent on inside until weakened over 2f out
held up, headway under pressure over 3f out, weakened over 1f out
tracked leaders, went 2nd over 2f out, led 1f out, pushed 3 lengths clear inside final furlong, headed near finish
soon close up, weakened quickly over 2f out
pulled hard and held up in rear, headway when not clear run over 1f out, burst through inside final furlong and quickened to lead near finish
in touch, weakened 2f out (struck into)
pulled hard in rear, some late headway, never able to challenge
held up, ridden and beaten 3f out
Not much strength in depth here and it may pay to concentrate on the three horses in form, namely Welcome Stranger, Blue Symphony and Broughton Spirit, with the latter getting a confident vote to continue winning ways. The filly has done nothing but progress this year, rattling off a hat-trick in the process, but it was her latest performance which really caught the eye, where she was ridden with plenty of confidence by Lisa Jones and although a narrow winner, won with something in hand. The runner-up didn't let the form down next time when finishing third, as he was racing off a higher mark. Just 2lbs higher here, she will take plenty of catching. Welcome Stranger is already proven on this surface, but whether he will stay this trip is open to question, as he is a half-brother to useful sprinter Just Visiting. The main danger should be Blue Symphony, who on a line through Bridge Pal, doesn't have much to find with the selection, but whether she will be as effective over this trip is anyones guess. Of the others No Refuge is the interesting one. He comes here with a typical Sir Mark profile, had three quick runs as a juvenile (all in October), over an inadequate trip, and gets in here off a mark of 63, which is little better than a platers mark. While he will undoubtedly stay further, he is one to keep on the right side if the market speaks in his favour.
