raced far side, held up in touch, ridden 2f out, went 2nd inside final furlong, kept on, no chance with winner
dewlt, raced far side, soon close up, ridden over 2f out, weakened approaching final furlong
raced far side, made all, 4 lengths clear of far side group after 2f, ridden 2f out, hung badly right final furlong, ran on
raced far side, keen held up in touch, ridden 2f out, kept on to take 3rd inside final furlong
raced far side, chased winner until inside final furlong, no extra
steadied start, switched left to race far side, always last, ridden over 2f out
raced alone stand side, on terms with winner until ridden inside final furlong
Balthazar's Gift, Presto Shinko and Fonthill Road look the trio for the shortlist and we stick with Balthazar's Gift. Kerrin McEvoy produced a ride to forget in the Stewards Cup and with the horse not having the hardest of races there, it is hoped that there is enough in the tank this afternoon to recoup compensation. Presto Shinko produced some top notch form in accounting for stable companion, Galeota, at Windsor. He handles good-to-soft going perfectly well and still appears to be on the upgrade. Fonthill Road ran a rare stinker last time out. Consistency has been very much his strong suit but he has struggled to make the leap from handicaps into listed company. Beckermet pops up at big prices although today's going is far from ideal. Three-year-old's do not have a particularly great record in this race but Conquest and Shmookh can be given some semblance of a chance on their better racecourse efforts. The former has always been held in some regard by Willie Haggas and has been dropped in grade following forays into Group company. Firenze never looked happy at York and it is to be hoped that this was merely a bad day at the office. Balthazar's Gift looks capable of further improvement and he receives the nod.
Balthazaar's Gift (IRE) 10-1 (9-13) Patiently ridden on far side, ran on well inside final furlong, nearest finish, 6th of 27, 1 1/2l behind Zidane (9-1) at Goodwood 6f hcap (2) gf.
Rising Shadow (IRE) 100-1 (9-5) Slowly into stride, never troubled leaders, 15th of 18, 10l behind Sakhee's Secret (8-13) at Newmarket 6f Grp 1 (1) gf in Jul.
Beckermet (IRE) 50-1 (9-3) Prominent, ridden over 2f out, outpaced over 1f out, 7th of 10, 7l behind Red Evie (9-4) at Newbury 7f Grp 2 (1) gd.
Biniou (IRE) 4-1 (8-11) Raced keenly, held up in touch, chased winner halfway, pressed winner and every chance 1f out, unable to quicken near finish, 2nd of 4, 1 1/2l behind Galeota (8-11) at Nottingham 5f stk (4) gf.
Presto Shinko (IRE) 5-2 (8-11) Chased leaders, ridden to challenge over 1f out, edged right and led well inside final furlong, driven out, won at Windsor 6f stk (3) gf beating Galeota (8-13) by 1/2l, 7 ran.
Firenze 2-1fav (9-2) Pushed along towards rear, headway on outer over 2f out, no extra final furlong, 6th of 10, 6l behind Theann (8-10) at York 6f fll stk Grp 3 (1) sft in Jul.
Conquest (IRE) 50-1 (8-12) Always behind, 15th of 20, 9l behind Miss Andretti (9-1) at Ascot 5f Grp 2 (1) gf in Jun.
Fonthill Road (IRE) 14-1 (9-0) Dwelt, soon in touch, ridden along over 2f out, one pace final furlong, 6th of 14, 5l behind Duff (9-0) at York 7f lst stk (1) gd.
Shmookh (USA) 7-2fav (9-7) Tracked leaders, ridden to lead 2f out, hung left and headed inside final furlong, no extra, 3rd of 16, 2l behind Docofthebay (8-13) at Goodwood 7f 3yo hcp (2) gd.
