held up towards rear, pushed along 9th, weakened approaching 2 out, blundered last
tracked leader, led 3 out, ridden and under pressure next, held on well
led, ridden headed 3 out, weakened next
chased leaders, ridden 3 out, stayed on same pace from 2 out
held up in mid-division, smooth headway to go second after 3 out, challenged when not fluent 2 out, not quicken flat
towards rear, hit 7th, driven along 9th, weakened from 2 out
in rear, pushed along 9th, headway to go 3rd 2 out, staying on one pace when blundered last
Xellance has taken a while to get the hang of the winter game but he is a horse on a roll and we will not seek to oppose him in our second contest. The step up to three miles is an imponderable but he stayed two miles on the flat and we believe his high cruising speed should see him through here. Cill Churnain stays this trip but ran surprisingly flat last time out. The market should tell us if he recovered from those exertions. Punchy is another with things to prove. He switched to Pipe from Mark Pitman's stable and while he undoubtedly has a touch of class...he ran too badly to be true on his last racecourse appearance and has been conspicuous by his absence since. Arabian Moon could be the more feasible danger. He is a genuine and honest creature who travels well throughout his races. He will have to do it the hard way off top-weight but should run well none-the-less. Off a fair racing weight, Xellance is marginally preferred.
