held up towards rear, pushed along over 2f out, never on terms
chased leaders, ridden over 1f out, weakened final furlong
led until halfway, chased winner until over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
held up in rear, good headway and switched right over 1f out, ran on well inside final furlong went 2nd final 100 yards, not reach winner
chased leader, led halfway, clear over 1f out, ridden and ran on well
always towards rear, never on terms
mid-division, pushed along halfway, weakened 2f out
reluctant and led to post, steadied start, held up in last pair, headway and switched left over 1f out, no impression final furlong
chased leaders, ridden and went 2nd over 1f out, no chance with winner when lost 2nd final 100 yards, dropped to 4th last strides
raced keenly, chased leaders, ridden over 1f out, kept on same pace inside final furlong, went 3rd last strides
chased leaders, weakened over 1f out
This is a typically-competitive HQ sprint but Open Wide goes well fresh and didn’t do much wrong throughout 2019. Total Commitment was in good form on Polytrack at the start of the year and is lightly raced on Turf. Northern raider Flavius Titus won twice over course and distance in the first half of last year and is another to consider, despite looking a few pounds too high. Gulliver pops up now and again and recent rain will aid his cause while Pass The Vino has dropped to a fair mark. SWINDLER (NAP) won first time up last summer and later completed an Ascot double. He’s only run six times so it’s reasonable to expect further progress this season from Ed Walker’s charge.
Gulliver 13-2 (9-3) Towards rear, pushed along over 4f out, kept on same pace, 6th of 10, 4 1/4l behind Urban Icon (9-3) at Wolverhampton 7f lst stks (1) pol in Mar.
Dazzling Dan (IRE) 8-1 (9-7) Close up, ridden to lead over 1f out, headed approaching final furlong, kept on same pace, 4th of 10, 3 1/4l behind Tinto (8-13) at Ascot 6f hcp (2) sft in Oct.
Recon Mission (IRE) (9-10) 13th of 16, 16 1/4l behind Glass Slippers (9-7) at ParisLongchamp 5f Grp 1 sft in Oct.
Summerghand (IRE) (8-11) 8th of 14, 5 1/4l behind Velorum (8-6) at Meydan 7f hcp gd in Feb.
Tinto 20-1 (9-3) Close up on inside, hampered and lost place when leader went lame well over 2f out, no danger after, 6th of 7, 7 1/2l behind Harry's Bar (8-12) at Lingfield 6f hcp (2) pol in Feb.
Open Wide (USA) 9-1 (9-2) Dwelt towards rear, ridden and headway inside final furlong, nearest finish, 8th of 22, 2l behind Oxted (9-7) at Doncaster 6f hcp (2) gf in Sep.
Flavius Titus 10-3 (9-6) With leader until pushed along over 2f out, ridden and weakened over 1f out, last of 8, 6 1/2l behind Enjazaat (9-8) at Doncaster 7f hcp (2) gf in Sep.
Swindler 10-3fav (8-12) Led to post, held up in mid-division, good headway over 1f out, led and hung left final 100 yards, ran on, won at Ascot 6f hcp (2) gf in Sep beating Alkaraama (9-2) by 3/4l, 14 ran.
Total Commitment (IRE) 11-8fav (9-7) Chased winner, pushed along over 2f out, driven over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, unable to get on terms, 2nd of 5, 1l behind Fizzy Feet (9-1) at Lingfield 6f hcp (3) pol in Feb.
Pass The Vino (IRE) 11-2 (8-12) Raced keenly in mid-division, weakened 2f out, 8th of 9, 5 3/4l behind Show Stealer (8-9) at Kempton 6f hcp (2) pol in Nov.
Staxton 11-4fav (9-7) Chased leaders, ridden to challenge over 2f out, every chance over 1f out, faded final furlong, 13th of 14, 4 3/4l behind Buridan (9-3) at Newcastle 6f hcp (2) pol in Oct.
Magical Memory (IRE) 10-1 (9-9) Tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened final furlong, last of 15, 5 1/4l behind Gifted Master (9-10) at Newmarket 6f hcp (2) gf in May.
