raced centre, led and overall leader, ridden 2f out, headed entering final furlong, no extra towards finish
raced centre, tracked leader, ridden 3f out, weakened final furlong
raced centre, held up in rear, switched left over 1f out, rapid headway to lead entering final furlong, soon clear and edged right inside final furlong
raced centre, keen, held up in touch, ridden over 2f out, weakened final furlong
raced centre, in rear, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened
raced far side alone, close up, joined main group halfway, ridden over 2f out, driven and stayed on inside final furlong
keen, raced centre, raced awkwardly, ridden over 2f out, kept on to take 2nd towards finish, no chance with winner
DELEGATOR can take his first steps towards a tilt at the Guineas but Alyarf, Sans Frontieres and City Style are all of interest. Delegator is currently vying for second favouritism for the Guineas following his close-up fifth in the Dewhurst on his final start at two. He's held in the highest esteem by his yard, his preparations have reportedly gone without any hitches and, whilst he'll come on for this, he should be sharp enough to score. City Style joined Godolphin after finishing fourth to Donativum in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and won both starts at Nad Al Sheba; it remains to be seen how he's acclimatised but he's clearly a smart prospect. Sans Frontieres has an entry in the Guineas but his pedigree suggests that he'll be more effective if taking up his entries in the middle distance contests later in the season. In contrast, Alyarf's pedigree is all about speed and he left the field for dead at Haydock to prove his debut running to be all wrong; he could be exciting but it's doubtful that it will be over a mile. Glass Harmonium won a poor maiden at Yarmouth as his odds suggested he should and he's clearly talented; we'll have a better idea of just how good he is after this race. The one that they've all got to beat is Delegator and he's taken to keep them at bay.
Alyarf (USA) 11-4 (9-0) With leader, led 2f out, pushed clear approaching final furlong, eased towards finish, easily, won at Haydock 6f 2yo mdn (5) gf in Sep beating All Spin (9-0) by 8l, 10 ran.
Close Alliance (USA) 7-1 (9-3) Slowly into stride, held up in rear, headway over 5f out, chased leaders 4f out, driven 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 7th of 14, 6l behind Mafaaz (9-3) at Kempton 1m 1f cnd stks (3yo) (2) pol in Mar.
Delegator 15-2 (9-1) Held up, headway over 2f out, soon ridden to chase leaders, kept on final furlong, 5th of 13, 1 3/4l behind Intense Focus (9-1) at Newmarket 7f 2yo stks G1 (1) gd in Oct.
Glass Harmonium (IRE) 8-15fav (9-3) Tracked leaders, led 2f out, ridden and ran on, won at Yarmouth 7f 2yo mdn (4) gd in Sep beating Burma Rock (9-3) by 4l, 11 ran.
Imperial Guest 50-1 (9-1) Held up, headway 2f out, driven to lead inside final furlong, kept on well, won at Doncaster 6f 2yo lst stk (1) gd in Oct beating Enderby Spirit (9-1) by 1/2l, 11 ran.
Pure Poetry (IRE) 14-1 (8-12) Took keen hold, held up in mid-division, on inside, checked on bend inside final 5f, ridden and headway over 1f out, driven and quickened to challenge inside final furlong, led final 100 yards, ran on well, won at Kempton 1m 3yo Listed stks (1) pol beating Shampagne (8-12) by hd, 9 ran.
Sans Frontieres (IRE) 5-6fav (9-3) Keen, tracked leaders, ridden and ran green over 2f out, switched left over 1f out, squeezed through to lead inside final furlong readily, better for run, won at Lingfield 7f 2yo mdn (5) gd in Sep beating Rafaan (9-3) by nk, 10 ran.
City Style (USA) Evensfav (8-7) Settled rear; smooth progress 500m out; led 200m out; comfortably, won at Nad Al Sheba(UAE) 7f stks (1) gd in Mar beating Liberation (8-7) by 1 3/4l, 13 ran.
