mid-division, ridden halfway, no impression
chased winner, ridden halfway, weakened approaching final furlong
slowly away, always towards rear
chased winner, ridden halfway, kept on, no chance with winner final 2f
dwelt, headway to chase leaders halfway, ridden and stayed on to go 3rd inside final furlong
mid-division, wide into straight over 1f out, ridden, kept on final furlong, never nearer
soon pushed along in rear
always in rear
smartly away, soon three lengths clear, made all and challenged, ridden clear final furlong
Dodaa has been in good form just lately and Kempsey often goes well without winning, but for today we will side with Azygous. John Akehurst has his string in form and, though far from a certainty, Azygous does have c&d winning form to his name and is now racing from a mark 16lb lower than his last win. Alan Munro is booked for the ride and that looks significant, as all three of the gelding's wins have come with the Derby winning jockey on board, so we'll take a chance on him. Dodaa goes pretty well on all the all artificial surfaces and won both here and at Wolverhampton in recent times, though he was comfortably beaten off this mark last time. However, tactics may not have suited there and if the race is run to suit here he will still be a serious threat. Kempsey enjoys it here and has been given a chance with a 2lb drop after finishing second over c&d last time, so he can't be ruled out. Triskaidekaphobia has a definite preference for Wolverhampton that may well prove his undoing again, while Music Box Express and George The Second look in the grip of the assessor. Azygous is a sporting selection in this sprint handicap.
George The Second 20-1 (8-6) Tracked leader, ridden to lead well over 1f out, headed 1f out, faded inside final furlong, 7th of 9, 4l behind Came Back (9-0) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-80 (4) pol.
Triskaidekaphobia 7-1 (8-8) Led, ridden 3 lengths clear 2f out, headed and kept on inside final furlong, 3rd of 6, 1 1/2l behind Sands Crooner (9-4) at Lingfield 5f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Billy Red 50-1 (9-6) Steadied start, raced centre group, headway over 4f out, weakened 3f out, 15th of 17, 18l behind Seneschal (9-4) at Yarmouth 7f hcp 0-65 (6) sft in Oct.
Azygous 5-2 (8-5) Chased winner to well over 1f out, no extra and one pace from over 1f out, 5th of 6, 2 1/2l behind Smokin Beau (8-8) at Kempton 5f hcp 0-75 (5) pol in Dec.
Rocker 7-1 (9-2) Tracked leader, ridden over 1f out, faded, 9th of 12, 7l behind Toms Laughter (8-10) at Kempton 5f hcp 0-65 (6) pol.
Music Box Express 9-4fav (9-2) Dwelt, held up in rear, headway on inside well over 1f out, ridden final furlong, beaten when edged right well inside final furlong, 6th of 13, 3 1/2l behind Strabinios King (9-4) at W'hampton 6f hcp 0-60 (6) pol.
Kempsey 7-1 (8-4) Chased leaders, soon pushed along, ridden over 1f out, driven, stayed on to go 2nd towards finish, 2nd of 6, 1/2l behind Sands Crooner (9-4) at Lingfield 5f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Stoneacre Boy (IRE) 16-1 (8-13) Slowly into stride, towards rear, headway on inside over 1f out, kept on, never nearer, 5th of 8, 3l behind Hollow Jo (9-4) at Kempton 5f hcp 0-65 (6) pol in Feb.
Dodaa (USA) 3-1 (8-9) Led, shaken up over 1f out, hard ridden when headed inside final furlong, no extra, 2nd of 7, 4l behind Blackheath (8-7) at W'hampton 5f hcp 0-60 (6) pol.
