held up in rear, switched right and headway on outside over 2f out, ridden and stayed on to chase leaders entering final furlong, no impression
held up towards rear, driven and headway over 2f out, challenged over 1f out, kept on and every chance inside final furlong, no extra towards finish
slowly into stride, towards rear, pushed along over 6f out, never dangerous
mid-division, lost pace over 4f out, soon behind
tracked leader, headway to lead over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, stayed on well towards finish
in touch, ridden and outpaced over 2f out, kept on same pace, no impression
mid-division, outpaced over 2f out, never on terms
mid-division, lost place over 4f out, kept on under pressure final 2f, never near leaders
raced keenly, in touch, ridden over 2f out, soon outpaced, weakened final furlong
in touch, ridden and effort over 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong
tracked leader, ridden and every chance from over 2f out to over 1f out, weakened final furlong
never better than mid-division
tracked leaders, headway over 3f out, effort and every chance over 2f out to over 1f out, one pace final furlong
not much room soon after start, always towards rear
led, ridden and headed over 2f out, soon weakened
This handicap may be poor in terms of quality but if ever a race was to define competitive this is it so will side with the on form KINGS MAIDEN to score in front of Elliwan and Greenbelt. The selection was on form over the winter when landing a couple of fair handicap hurdles, one on similar going conditions, and James Moffat's mare has continued to go well since returning to this sphere and she landed one of these against rivals of the same ability at Lingfeild last time. She carries a six pounds penalty for that cosy enough success but when good form is this scarce she looks a leading light. Elliwan is still racing off a mark four pounds higher than his last winning rating but Mick Easterby¿s runner needs to be respected with a good strike rate over this trip on ground, which should suit very nicely. The ground conditions are also in favour of Greenbelt whose best has come on the fibresand and he seems to be running into some form though still may be a little high in the weights. McCormack is also on the short-list having beaten the pick on his penultimate effort but this one would prefer the ground to dry and while we could make a case for at least half a dozen more our conclusion would still be the same. We¿ll sick with recent good form and Kings Maiden.
Holoko Heights 11-4 (8-13) Slowly into stride, held up towards rear, not clear run when barged way through over 2f out, driven to chase leaders and hung left approaching final furlong, one pace, 3rd of 13, 2 1/4l behind Saloon (9-0) at Kempton 1m 4f hcp (0-55) (6) pol in Apr.
Kings Maiden (IRE) 13-2 (8-9) Towards rear, headway over 3f out, stayed on steadily on outside from over 1f out, led towards finish, won at Wolverhampton 1m 6f hcp 0-65 (6) pol beating Saloon (9-3) by 1l, 13 ran.
Elliwan 7-1 (9-2) Tracked leader, ridden over 3f out, slightly outpaced over 2f out, driven and stayed on final furlong, 4th of 14, 5l behind Three Strings (8-11) at Southwell 1m 3f hcp 0-60 (6) fbs in Apr.
Majestic Chief 33-1 (8-8) Led, headed over 3f out, soon ridden, weakened over 1f out, 7th of 9, 15l behind Dechiper (8-7) at Newcastle 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) gs.
Greenbelt 9-2 (8-6) Chased leaders, led until over 3f out, headed inside final furlong, no extra, 2nd of 8, 1l behind World Of Choice (8-8) at Southwell 1m 4f hcp 0-65 (6) fbs.
Forrest Flyer (IRE) 13-2 (8-2) Led, ridden and headed over 2f out, weakened final furlong, 5th of 9, 7l behind Zuwaar (9-0) at Haydock 1m 6f hcp 0-80 (4) gf in Apr.
Top Man Dan (IRE) 16-1 (8-9) Tracked leaders, weakened over 3f out, 12th of 14, 27l behind Covert Mission (8-13) at Catterick 1m 4f hcap (6) gs in Oct.
McCormack (IRE) 7-1 (8-6) Slowly into stride, in rear, effort 3f out, weakened 2f out, 11th of 12, 29l behind Forbidden (8-13) at Nottingham 1m app hcp 0-60 (6) fm.
Piverina (IRE) 8-1 (8-8) Chased leader until over 4f out, weakened over 1f out, 5th of 12, 8l behind Prairie Hawk (8-2) at Wolverhampton 1m 6f hcp (6) pol in Dec.
Byron Bay 33-1 (7-13) Raced keenly, held up and always towards rear, 11th of 13, 27l behind Summer Soul (9-11) at Newcastle 2m hcp 0-70 (5) gf.
Altos Reales 11-1 (8-9) Towards rear, headway 2f out, stayed on final furlong, never nearer, 7th of 13, 7l behind Lytham (8-12) at Kempton 1m 3f app hcp (0-55) (6) pol in Feb.
Bollin Freddie 9-2 (8-13) Tracked leader, ridden to lead over 2f out, headed over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 4th of 11, 2l behind Fortunella (8-8) at Southwell 1m 4f hcp (6) fbs in Nov.
Sorrento Moon (IRE) 5-1 (9-2) Held up, ridden along over 4f, one pace final 2f, 5th of 11, 14l behind Pondapie (8-8) at Beverley 1m 4f sll stks (5) sft in Sep.
Wizard Looking 11-4fav (8-5) In touch, ridden over 1f out, held final furlong, 6th of 16, 6l behind Mossmann Gorge (8-5) at Lingfield 1m 3f hcp 0-60 (6).
Aston Lad 7-1 (8-10) Held up, ridden over 3f out, kept on, no impression, 4th of 14, 12l behind Quitit (8-13) at Catterick 2m hcap (5) gs in Oct.
Orpen Bid (IRE) 14-1 (8-2) Chased leaders to halfway, soon behind, last of 10, 17l behind Talon (8-4) at Musselburgh 1m 3yo hcp (5) gd in Aug.
Mycenean Prince (USA) 50-1 (8-12) Always towards rear, 9th of 12, 13l behind Waterside (8-12) at Wolverhampton 1m 1f sell stks (6) pol in Apr.
