disputed lead early, chased winner until ridden well over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
chased leaders, chased winner briefly over 1f out, soon unable to quicken, one pace
went right and stumbled start, behind, ridden and hung left 2f out, no response
made virtually all, pushed along 2f out, ridden over 1f out, stayed on well
held up, headway over 2f out, edged left and chased winner over 1f out, no impression, eased towards finish
bumped slightly start, in rear, pushed along 3f out, stayed on from over 1f out to go 3rd inside final furlong, no impression
Nothing can be ruled out here in a competitive race but it is the top-rated STIMULATION who should be hard to beat after a decent reappearance run at Doncaster last week. Hughie Morrison's colt is clear on the ratings here and he wasn't beaten far at the line behind Duff. Seven furlongs on quick ground is not a problem for him and a winner at the track before he is taken to add another course success. Prime Defender is another who drops in class today; his best recent run was at Newbury behind High Standing in July and he is adaptable with regards to the ground. Tariq had little excuses behind Main Aim at Haydock last time out and he needs to get a win to restore some lost confidence, Ashram won well at Kempton last time out however he is deserted by Dettori who rides stablemate Huntdown. He is consistent enough but he seems to lack a touch of class and was well-held at York last time out. Festoso is a decent filly and she completes the line-up. If there was a deluge of rain she might arouse some interest but as it is she looks opposable with lots to find with Prime Defender on their run at Newbury last time out. Not an easy puzzle to solve however it is Stimulation who can get the blood circulating with a win.
Prime Defender 14-1 (9-3) Tracked leader, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 8th of 9, 8l behind Balthazaar's Gift (9-3) at Newbury 7f stks (1) gf in Aug.
Stimulation (IRE) 7-4fav (9-4) Chased winner until switched left to follow leader down centre over 4f out, ridden 2f out, held inside final fulrong, 5th of 6, 2 1/2l behind Duff (9-4) at Doncaster 7f stks (1) gf.
Tariq 4-1 (9-0) Held up towards rear, headway over 2f out, kept on same pace, 7th of 10, 5l behind Main Aim (9-0) at Haydock 7f stks (1) gd in May.
Ashram (IRE) 6-4fav (8-11) Slowly into stride, soon recovered to track leaders travelling strongly, led over 1f out, soon ridden, in command final furlong, ran on well, won at Kempton 1m stks (3yo+) (3) pol in Aug beating Brief Encounter (8-11) by 1 1/4l, 7 ran.
Huntdown (USA) 5-2fav (8-9) Held up, came centre over 4f out, ridden and headway over 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 5th of 12, 2 1/2l behind Confront (9-0) at York 7f Listed stks (1) gf in Aug.
Festoso (IRE) 10-1 (9-0) Slowly into stride in rear, ridden halfway, kept on, never on terms, 5th of 8, 10l behind High Standing (9-3) at Newbury 6f Grp 3 (1) sft in Jul.
