held up towards rear, pushed along halfway, kept on under pressure final furlong
held up towards rear, headway and effort 2f out, weakened final furlong
held up in rear, headway 2f out, ran on well to lead inside final furlong, kept on
led, ridden halfway, headed inside final furlong, kept on
close up, ridden 2f out, no extra final furlong
mid-division, pushed along halfway, stayed on well final furlong
in touch, ridden halfway, weakened over 1f out
chased leaders, ridden halfway, weakened approaching final furlong
close up, effort 2f out, kept on under pressure final furlong
towards rear, never dangerous
in touch, ridden over 2f out, one pace
dwelt, soon chasing leaders, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out
Bearing in mind that first and second favourites have a very good record in this race, support for the section of Caribbean Coral will be a very good indicator to the five-year-old's chances of mastering the likes of Piccled, Henry Hall and Steel Blue, who head the list of dangers this evening. In contrast, the statistics also point out that both Halmahera and Whitbarrow will do well to overcome their burden at the weights and are reluctantly left out of the equation here. Recent form also helps us narrow down the field as the likes of Matty Tun, Salviati and Indian Spark have all struggled to make an impact in the closing stages in their efforts in the build up to this race and they too are passed over for the time being. Funfair Wane and Philharmonic are others that do not fit the profile of recent winners of this race in that they arrive here with only one seasonal outing between them and may find a few of these that bit sharper tonight. Which brings us back to the shortlist we consider will be in there pitching at the finish. Piccled has hit form at the right time for this as the race he won at York has provided five previous winners of this race. However, he failed to beat a horse home in this same race last season and, like Steel Blue, he has to conclusively prove that he can hold his form consistently in this sort of company. Henry Hall also took his chance in that same race on the Knavesmire and, having won this in 2000, will be spot on for his challenge tonight. However, his advantage with Caribbean Coral has been eroded by his high draw and he will do very well to reverse Epsom form with the selection tonight. Which just leaves Caribbean Coral, who as a previous course and distance winner with a decent draw, has a cracking chance to emulate Indian Spark, who was the only other previous winner of this race to brush aside a rating in the high nineties.
