raced keenly, made all, ridden and strongly pressed from over 1f out, stayed on gamely to assert towards finish
took keen hold early, soon steadied towards rear, struggling over 2f out
took keen hold early, held up in last trio, headway far side 3f out, chased winner going well 2f out, ridden to challenge hung left and green over 1f out, every chance under pressure until no extra and held well inside final furlong
held up in last trio, pushed along halfway, ridden to chase leaders over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
steadied start, held up in rear, short lived effort and hung left 2f out, ridden and no response soon after
chased leaders, driven to challenge just over 2f out, kept on under pressure, not pace of leading duo final furlong
held up in last trio, ridden and no headway final 2f
took keen hold, chased leaders, ridden and hung left 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong
chased leaders, ridden 3f out, soon weakened
chased winner until 2f out, weakened over 1f out
chased leaders, driven over 2f out, soon weakened
This is a race that is likely to produce a good number of useful handicappers further down the line. However, UNEX EL GRECO was a highly impressive winner on his debut at Leicester just over a month ago and, as such, he edges the vote as the most interesting contender on show today. John Gosden's colt holds a Derby entry and, as he could be anything, the son of Holy Roman Emperor adds a further dimension to this tough looking nursery. Vanguard Dream bids to maintain his unbeaten status and, as he is likely to handle any cut in the ground, he is sure to make a bold attempt to defy top weight. A mark of 89 looks harsh considering the calibre of his previous opponents, though. And, given the increased size of this field, the son of Oasis Dream has a tough task ahead of him. My Single Malt and Highlife Dancer are a couple of others worth noting in the preliminaries - the latter has a 7lb claimer booked and could be interesting for a speculative angle on the betting market. However, Unex El Greco fits the profile of a horse to keep on the right side and is worth following until the bubble bursts.
Vanguard Dream 4-9fav (9-3) Made all, joined halfway, ridden 2f out, kept up to work final furlong, won at Leicester 7f 2yo nov stk (4) gd in Sep beating Try The Chance (9-0) by 2l, 4 ran.
Thomas Tompion (IRE) 11-8fav (9-3) Made all under favoured stand side rail, ridden 1f out, ran on, eased near finish, comfortably, won at Lingfield 6f 2yo mdn aut (5) gs in Sep beating Monsieur Jamie (9-3) by 4l, 8 ran.
Unex El Greco 12-1 (9-3) Went right start, slow into stride, headway to be in touch at halfway, led over 1f out, edged left and pushed clear final furlong, comfortable, won at Leicester 7f 2yo mdn (4) sft in Aug beating The Mongoose (9-3) by 2 1/4l, 15 ran.
Highlife Dancer 6-1 (9-0) Chased winner, driven along over 2f out, soon no chance, last of 2, 11l behind Big Issue (9-3) at Salisbury 7f 2yo nov stk (3) sft in Sep.
My Single Malt (IRE) 9-2 (8-10) Dwelt, in rear, swiched left and headway over 2f out, every chance inside final furlong, weakened towards finish, 4th of 12, 2l behind Buthelezi (9-7) at Doncaster 1m 2yo hcp (2) gd in Sep.
Royal Opera 9-1 (8-11) Chased leaders far side, outpaced 2f out, weakened final furlong, 11th of 16, 13l behind Murbeh (8-11) at Ripon 6f 2yo aut (2) gd in Aug.
Arctic Mirage 11-1 (9-1) Slowly into stride and soon pushed along towards rear, headway over 2f out, ran on inside final furlong, 3rd of 9, 1l behind Veil Of Night (8-1) at Ffos Las 6f 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) gs in Aug.
Cocohatchee 50-1 (8-2) Held up in rear headway and wanting to edge left from 2f out, stayed on inside final furlong, never nearer, 6th of 14, 6l behind Invincible Ridge (8-11) at Newbury 6f 2yo hcp (3) gf in Sep.
Welsh Dancer 16-1 (9-3) Raced wide, always in rear, 9th of 11, 13l behind Dominant (9-3) at Goodwood 7f 2yo mdn (5) gf in Sep.
Falkland Flyer (IRE) 10-1 (8-8) Mid-division, driven halfway, headway over 1f out, never on terms, 7th of 11, 11l behind First Class Favour (8-6) at Catterick 7f 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) gf in Sep.
Ninfea (IRE) 11-4fav (9-2) Raced wide, close up, lost place 6f out, ridden and no impression final 3f, 6th of 11, 10l behind Amistress (7-12) at Bath 1m 2yo hcp 0-70 (5) gf in Sep.
