tracked leader, ridden 2f out, no impression final furlong
close up, pushed along 4f out, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
patiently ridden in towards rear, good headway from over 1f out, switched left and led well inside final furlong
pulled hard towards rear, effort entering final 3f, weakened and hung right over 1f out
in touch, ridden to go 3rd over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
led, ridden 2f out, headed and kept on well inside final furlong
awkward start, always in rear
mid-division, ridden over 3f out, effort when edged right over 1f out, kept on same pace
tracked leaders, ridden over 3f out, weakened over 1f out
held up well in rear, kept on final furlong and never nearer
Ideally we'd prefer a longer trip but we still expect BUGAKU to be good enough to win this contest. Safari Sunup and King Charles are two of the likelier candidates to chase him home. This isn't a great race with a number of exposed and largely out of form runners in the line-up. The stand-out horse is the Stoute runner who should pay his way in the course of time. He didn't do anything very quickly when winning at Sandown and that proved to be the problem at Kempton when he got going all too late in a race won by Covert Ambition. A 5lb rise for that effort is a little harsh and we'd rather see him over a mile and a half but expect him to get away with it in this company. King Charles isn't an easy ride but he's not too badly treated these days and Richard Hughes could prove to be the ideal partner for this quirky individual. The handicapper has Safari Sunup about right but he did go well from a 1lb lower mark at Lingfield and should run his race. Polly's Mark ran the first bad race of her career when disappointing in a handicap at Royal Ascot but she had an upwardly mobile profile prior to that and makes more appeal than the remainder but we won't be looking beyond Bugaku.
Heron Bay 10-1 (9-2) Mid-division, pushed along over 5f out, soon beaten, 13th of 17, 17l behind Drill Sergeant (9-7) at Royal Ascot 1m 4f hcp 105 (2) gf in Jun.
Safari Sunup (IRE) 20-1 (8-12) Tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, led briefly 1f out, no extra, 2nd of 9, 1l behind Lady Jane Digby (8-11) at Lingfield 1m 2f hcp 0-105 (2) pol in May.
Bugaku 9-2fav (8-12) Slowly into stride, held up, steady headway to chase leaders over 1f out, kept on to take 3rd well inside final furlong, 3rd of 13, 2l behind Covert Ambition (9-6) at Kempton 1m 2f hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Jun.
King Charles 6-1 (9-9) Held up behind mid-division, headway on outside 2f out, soon ridden, kept on under pressure from over 1f out, never troubled leaders, 4th of 12, 6l behind Australia Day (9-9) at Sandown 1m 2f hcp 0-90 (3) gd in Jun.
Final Verse 9-1 (9-7) Mid-division, weakened over 2f out, 16th of 17, 14l behind City Of The Kings (9-5) at York 1m hcp 0-100 (2) gd.
Jaser 15-2 (8-12) Always towards rear, 15th of 23, 19l behind Extraterrestrial (8-12) at Newbury 1m hcp (2) sft in Apr.
Cheshire Prince 50-1 (10-12) Held up, ridden 3f out, no headway from 2f out, 15th of 19, 17l behind Mull of Dubai (10-5) at York 1m 4f (3) gd in Jun.
Kevkat (IRE) 66-1 (9-5) Always behind and outpaced over 2f out, never dangerous, 12th of 13, 13l behind Covert Ambition (9-6) at Kempton 1m 2f hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Jun.
Capable Guest (IRE) 20-1 (9-2) Held up in mid-division, driven along 4f out, stayed on final 2f, not quite able to challenge, 4th of 9, 3 1/2l behind Run For Ede's (8-6) at Ascot 1m 4f app hcp (0-85) (4yo+) (4) gd.
Dar Es Salaam 15-2 (9-3) Held up, pushed along and outpaced over 2f out, driven and stayed on under pressure to take 3rd towards finish, 3rd of 7, 4l behind Conquisto (9-13) at Doncaster 1m 4f hcp 0-85 (4) gf.
Monreale (GER) 100-1 (9-10) Held up towards rear, ridden 3f out, some late progress, never a factor, 9th of 16, 12l behind Higgy's Boy (9-6) at Windsor 1m 2f hcap (4) gf in Sep.
Polly's Mark (IRE) 12-1 (8-7) Raced keenly, close up, effort on outside 3f out, soon ridden and weakened over 2f out, 16th of 19, 16l behind Cosmic Sun (7-12) at Royal Ascot 1m 4f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) gf in Jun.
