prominent, pushed along halfway, driven to chase winner inside final furlong, no impression
led, quickened tempo halfway, headed 2f out, weakened final furlong
stumbled start, mid-division, headway on outside over 1f out, went 3rd inside final furlong, no impression
mid-division, ridden on inside and no impression over 1f out
held up in rear on inside, switched right over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, nearest finish
took keen hold, held up in touch, ridden and outpaced 2f out, no chance after
chased leader, led 2f out, in command when hung left inside final furlong
held up in rear, headway over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, nearest finish
took keen hold, held up in rear, ran on inside final furlong
chased leaders until weakened over 2f out
It can pay to give LEGAL EAGLE another chance and he's preferred to exposed sorts like Vintage and Buy On The Red. The selection is a half-brother to a number of winners on the European mainland and has proved pretty versatile with his promising debut coming on fast ground and his maiden win on testing ground on his next start. That victory suggests that the ground may not have been responsible for his heavy defeat at Ripon last time but his trainer has given him plenty of time to recover. His previous effort at Chester reads well enough, the handicapper has eased him in the weights and he can take advantage of that generosity. Vintage has gone up by a total of 5lbs following his recent sequence of seconds and it would be no great surprise were he to find at least one of these too good. Chjimes had the beating of him two runs ago but everything fell right for Connor Dore's runner that day and there isn't a great deal to choose between the pair. Buy On The Red and Lucayos are other capable sorts on their day and should be in the shake-up but Legal Eagle is fancied to lay down the law. (Ian Ogg)
Lucayos 9-1 (9-7) Tracked leaders, weakened over 1f out, soon eased, 10th of 14, 7l behind Mister Hardy (9-0) at Hamilton 6f hcp 0-80 (4) sft.
Legal Eagle (IRE) 5-2 (9-7) Led, headed over 2f out, soon ridden and weakened, eased final furlong, 5th of 6, 19l behind Great Charm (9-2) at Ripon 6f 3yo hcp (4) sft in Jun.
Buy On The Red 16-1 (8-12) Chased leaders, ridden 2f out, no extra final furlong, 5th of 10, 2l behind Expensive Art (9-2) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-85 (4) pol.
Chjimes (IRE) 7-1 (8-10) Raced wide mid-division, ridden halfway, never dangerous, 7th of 10, 3 1/2l behind Expensive Art (9-2) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-85 (4) pol.
Resplendent Alpha 10-1 (9-0) Towards rear, ridden 2f out, never dangerous, 9th of 13, 6l behind Earlsmedic (8-7) at Newmarket 6f hcp 0-85 (4) gs.
Sand Cat 20-1 (9-5) Towards rear, outpaced from halfway, never a danger, 8th of 9, 8l behind Judge 'n Jury (9-1) at Sandown 5f hcp 0-80 (4) gs.
Vintage (IRE) 13-2 (8-6) Soon tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, joined winner and every chance inside final furlong, ran on, 2nd of 10, shd behind Expensive Art (9-2) at Lingfield 6f hcp 0-85 (4) pol.
Mandarin Spirit (IRE) 11-2 (9-0) Reared start, soon mid-division, not pace to challenge, 7th of 10, 6l behind Billion Dollar Kid (9-7) at Brighton 6f hcp 0-80 (4) gd.
Garstang 33-1 (8-13) Hampered at start, towards rear, headway over 1f out, no extra final furlong, 8th of 14, 4l behind Commander Wish (9-0) at Pontefract 5f hcp 0-75 (5) gd.
Beau Jazz 100-1 (8-5) Prominent for 2f, soon behind, 11th of 12, 16l behind Maker's Mark (9-1) at Newbury 5f hcp 0-85 (4) gf in Aug '07.
