slowly into stride, held up in touch, ridden 2f out, staying on when hampered inside final furlong
chased leaders, ridden to chase leader over 1f out and hung left, kept on one pace final furlong
always in rear
chased leaders, led halfway, ridden 2 lengths clear over 1f out, hung left inside final furlong, headed and no extra near finish
slowly into stride, held up well in rear, ran on final furlong, led near finish
close up, ridden and weakened over 1f out
slowly into stride, behind, never dangerous
with leaders, ridden 2f out, one pace final furlong
led, headed halfway, ridden and weakened over 1f out
went right start, chased leaders until halfway
with leaders until halfway
Several hold chances in this unique contest; with a chance taken on Sir Desmond, who is selected in preference to Sir Edwin Landseer and Middleton Grey. There may also be more to come from Madhavi now that she is dropped in trip and, as she has gone well here in the past, the daughter of Diktat is one to seriously consider if she is backed. Middleton Grey is another that acts well at the track and can be tough to get past on his day. However, he is 7lb higher in weights than he was when winning this race last year and faces no easy task this time around. Sir Edwin Landseer has run into a fair bit of form lately and will be very hard to keep out of the frame if he runs up to his best. A bit of cut in the ground will not do him any harm, though, and his connections will be hoping that the predicted rain gets into the ground before the 'off'. That scenario will also favour Sir Desmond, who makes solid appeal on the grounds of value. The seven-year-old has been lightly raced this turf season and arrives here fresher than most. His locally-based trainer has a canny knack of placing his horses to good effect and Sir Desmond has very little to find to add to the statistics from his current mark.
Paris Bell 16-1 (9-5) Raced keen, led, headed over 2f out, soon ridden, weakened final furlong, 7th of 9, 8l behind Danzili Bay (9-4) at Haydock 6f 3yo hcp (3) gf in Jul.
Kirkby's Treasure 14-1 (8-11) Towards rear, headway and hung left over 2f out, weakened inside final furlong, 9th of 13, 6l behind Tanforan (8-1) at Chester 1m hcp (3) gd in Jul.
Nautical 13-2fav (10-0) Raced stand's side, behind, ridden over 2f out, stayed on well final furlong nearest finish, 4th of 24, 1l behind Mine Behind (10-3) at Newbury 7f ldy rds hcp (3) gf in Jul.
Sir Edwin Landseer (USA) 8-1 (8-4) Reared up in stalls, slowly away and behind, good headway 2f out, kept on under pressure final furlong, 2nd of 15, 1 1/2l behind Idle Power (9-4) at Goodwood 6f hcp (2) gs in Jul.
Middleton Grey 7-1 (9-3) Dwelt, held up, not clear run 2f out, headway and switched right over 1f out, every chance final furlong, ran on, 2nd of 13, nk behind Currency (9-5) at Warwick 6f hcp (5) gf in Jun.
Coleorton Dane 11-1 (9-1) Led over 4f, soon beaten, last of 14, 20l behind Triple Two (9-3) at Leicester 7f 3yo hcp (4) gf in Jun.
Madhavi 7-2 (8-11) Held up in touch, ridden 3f out, no impression 2f out, stayed on well inside final furlong, not reach leaders, 3rd of 6, 2l behind Aberdovey (8-8) at Sandown 1m 3yo stk 0-75 (4) gf in Jul.
Byo (IRE) 16-1 (8-1) Prominent, ridden to chase leaders 2f out, weakened, 8th of 13, 6l behind Intriguing Glimpse (9-2) at Brighton 5f hcp (4) gd.
Legal Set (IRE) 40-1 (8-2) In touch, ridden over 1f out, stayed on approaching final furlong, 5th of 14, 7l behind Mr Wolf (9-13) at Pontefract 5f hcp (5) gd.
Phantom Song (IRE) 5-1 (9-6) Tracked leader, ridden to challenge 2f out, every chance until no extra inside final furlong, 8th of 16, 7l behind Muara (9-2) at Redcar 5f 3yo hcp (6) frm in Jun.
Old Bailey (USA) 10-1 (9-4) Towards rear, stayed on final furlong, never dangerous, 5th of 12, 6l behind Harrison's Flyer (9-12) at Southwell 6f clm (6) fbs in Jul.
Silver Reign 28-1 (8-13) Led, ridden 2f out, headed over 1f out, weakened, 9th of 15, 7l behind Cayman Breeze (9-6) at Brighton 6f hcp (6) frm in Jul.
Pic Up Sticks 8-1 (9-7) Held up in touch, ridden over 1f out, no impression final furlong, 5th of 9, 2 1/2l behind The Jobber (9-3) at Newbury 5f hcp (4) gs in Jul.
Sir Desmond 16-1 (8-8) Towards rear, ridden over 2f out, headway 1f out, ran on final furlong, not reach leader, 3rd of 15, 1 1/2l behind Greenslades (9-8) at Newmarket 6f hcp (3) gd in Jul.
