held up in mid-division, headway over 1f out, stayed on well inside final furlong to lead final strides
tracked leaders, effort 2f out, stayed on same pace from over 1f out
in rear, some headway 2f out, soon ridden and no extra from over 1f out
led until headed over 1f out, one pace final furlong
chased leaders, not clear run inside final 2f, no chance when checked and eased inside final furlong
in touch, ridden 2f out, no headway and weakened final furlong
held up behind, not clear run over 2f out to inside final furlong, finished well, nearest finish
tracked leaders, led over 1f out, hard pressed inside final furlong, headed final strides
tracked leader, hard ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out
held up behind, not clear run over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, not pace to challenge
The decision to switch to Newbury from Ayr on account of the better ground to take on stronger opposition can pay dividends for Texas Gold, whose trainer feels would have got very close to Pivotal Point in the Stewards Cup had he been granted a clearer passage. That is not to undermine the challenge of The Tatling, who cannot be ruled out despite his Group 2 penalty, while Var adds a real touch of intrigue after blitzing a useful field on his British debut and a repeat effort will see him go close. Boogie Street and Majestic Missile have the theoretical beating of The Tatling on these terms and are others that have to be given the utmost respect. Whereas the booking of Richard Quinn for Airwave can only be a positive move and she can confirm her Nunthorpe superiority over Talbot Avenue with only a similar effort today. Nevertheless, she has been far too expensive to follow this season to be recommending at the likely odds and the value has to lay elsewhere. By way of contrast, Pivotal Point is very hard to oppose, as he has done very little wrong and remains on the upgrade. However, he is unlikely to represent good value in such a competitive race and he is played with only as a saver option this afternoon. This smaller field can help Texas Gold to stay out of trouble this time and, as he counterbalances his lack of experience at this level by arriving here at the absolute top of his game, Willie Muir's charge can reward the faith placed in him by recording the biggest victory of his career so far; at a tasty price to boot.