soon led, headed over 2f out, soon ridden, every chance when hampered inside final furlong, no extra near finish
held up, ridden over 2f out, headway over 1f out, no extra final furlong
tracked leader, ridden over 2f out, carried left inside final furlong, no extra near finish
keen and in touch, ridden over 2f out, weakened 1f out
held up, ridden and headway approaching 2f out, weakened over 1f out
close up, led over 2f out, soon ridden, driven and hung left inside final furlong, headed and bumped near finish
steadied at start, patiently ridden in rear, smooth headway approaching final furlong, ran on to lead and edged left near finish, cheekily
held up in rear, ridden and weakened well over 1f out
Nonrunner
With Sir Michael Stoute's horses in good form now, we will go against the form book and side with Echelon ahead of Musicanna and Bon Nuit in this very good contest. Echelon is a filly that we like, and in the hands of Sir Michael Stoute, she can flourish this season. Last season's Sun Chariot Stakes third, Musicanna, holds obvious claims here, particularly as she is two pounds better off with Echelon for the just-over four lengths that she finished ahead of her at Sandown, although that was on soft ground. Bon Nuit meets Echelon on the same terms as when beating her by three-quarters of a length over a mile at Sandown last July, so she is entitled to respect, while Kempton Listed one-two, Royal Alchemist and Violet Park have earned a shot at this level. The others, smart that they are, probably need to improve in order to win today. All of which returns us to the selection, which is Echelon.
Mango Mischief (IRE) 4-1fav (9-5) Mid-division, ridden and headway over 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong, never troubled leaders, 4th of 15, 10l behind Strawberry Dale (8-10) at Doncaster 1m 2f lst fll stk (1) hvy in Nov.
Bahia Breeze 6-1 (9-9) Disputed lead early, 3rd after halfway, 4th and ridden 3f out, soon weakened, eased under 2f out, 9th of 10, 28l behind Danehill Music (8-7) at Curragh 1m fll stk Grp 3 (1) hvy in Mar.
Bon Nuit (IRE) 4-1fav (9-1) Prominent, effort 2f out, soon ridden and weakened over 1f out, 8th of 10, 9l behind Royal Alchemist (8-12) at Kempton 1m lst fll stk (1) pol in Apr.
Mamela (GER) (9-4) In touch, effort 2f out, ran on under pressure, 3rd of 13, 1 1/2l behind Nightdance Forest (9-4) at Frankfurt 1m stk gd in May '05.
Musicanna 8-1 (9-0) Raced far side, chased leading pair throughout, kept on one pace final furlong, 3rd of 10, 4l behind Peeress (9-0) at Newmarket 1m fll stks Grp 1 (1) gs in Oct.
Royal Alchemist 9-2 (8-12) Tracked leader, ridden to lead over 2f out, headed 2f out, soon led again, ran on strongly, won at Kempton 1m lst fll stk (1) pol in Apr beating Violet Park (8-12) by 1/2l, 10 ran.
Violet Park 13-2 (8-12) Settled in rear, good headway over 1f out, stayed on strongly inside final furlong, gaining towards finish, 2nd of 10, 1/2l behind Royal Alchemist (8-12) at Kempton 1m lst fll stk (1) pol in Apr.
Zayn Zen 5-1 (8-7) In touch, effort 2f out, stayed on inside final furlong, not reach leaders, 4th of 14, 1 1/2l behind Kew Green (9-0) at Lingfield 1m 2f lst stk (1) pol in Nov.
Echelon 2-1fav (8-11) Held up in touch, progress over 1f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Newmarket 7f lst fll stk (1) gd in Sept beating Attune (8-11) by 3/4l, 14 ran.
