raced keenly, led 1f, remained prominent, ridden 2f out, no extra inside final furlong
slowly into stride, held up in rear, raced keenly, hung left over 2f out, always behind
tracked leaders, edged right over 1f out, soon led, driven out
prominent, led after 1f, headed 1f out, one pace inside final furlong
mid-division, hanging right when headway well over 1f out, ran on well towards finish
held up, raced keenly, never dangerous
in rear, soon pushed along, lost touch over 2f out
tracked leaders, edged right over 1f out, pressing winner inside final furlong, stayed on
prominent, ridden over 2f out, weakened well over 1f out
chased leaders, weakened 2f out
stumbled start, held up, always in rear
stalls opened fractionally late, started slowly, held up, headway over 3f out, no extra inside final furlong
One of the weaker races on the card and RIO ROYALE is taken to score, while Dove Mews can go well in defeat. The Amanda Perrett-trained selection has fast ground wins over six and seven furlongs to his name, the latest coming in a Salisbury handicap in May from a mark of 72. Granted, he does have a few pounds to find compared to if this were a handicap, but he can be relied upon to run to a consistent level of form and we hope that is good enough in this ordinary affair. Dove Mews looks the best off at the weights and acts on the ground, but although the yard came back to form with a seller winner the other day, we will take her on due to stamina issues. Pressing Matters has trip and ground to suit and will appreciate this drop in grade after a couple of moderate attempts in recent handicaps, while Roly Boy is well up to this standard and should not be far away on a track that certainly suits. Fajita won in this sphere on his last attempt and if the rains come then he looks like a serious contender, while faster conditions suit Summers Target, whose yard had a recent win and who wouldn't have to find huge amounts to go close. A few with chances then, but Rio Royale is the one for us.
Rio Royale (IRE) 8-1 (9-7) Soon tracking leader, driven to challenge over 2f out, soon one pace, 4th of 5, 2 3/4l behind Fleeting Star (9-4) at Brighton 6f 3yo hcp 0-75 (5) fm.
Summers Target (USA) 16-1 (9-7) Slowly into stride, raced keenly in rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, no impression final furlong, 5th of 9, 6l behind Dance Club (8-13) at Yarmouth 7f hcp 0-70 (5) gf.
Fajita 11-1 (9-3) Held up, ridden 2f out, headway 1f out, kept on final furlong, 6th of 16, 6l behind Kaolak (9-9) at Newmarket 1m hcp 0-75 (5) gd.
King's Sabre 7-1 (9-2) Chased leaders, ridden along 4f out, weakened over 2f out, soon eased, last of 7, 34l behind My Best Bet (8-12) at Folkestone 7f 3yo hcp 0-75 (5) gf.
Pressing Matters (IRE) 5-1 (9-5) Held up, pushed along and unable to quicken over 2f out, no chance after, 7th of 9, 9l behind Registrar (8-8) at Yarmouth 7f hcp 0-75 (5) gd.
Roly Boy 4-1 (8-8) Tracked leaders, ridden to lead over 2f out, headed over 1f out, staying on when not much room inside final furlong, 4th of 7, 2l behind Ogre (9-1) at Epsom Downs 7f clm stks (5) gd in Jul.
Captain Cavendish (IRE) 100-1 (8-9) Soon led, ridden and headed over 2f out, gradually weakened, last of 8, 14l behind Dome Rocket (9-3) at Wolverhampton 1m 1f 3yo clm stks (6) pol in Jun.
Dove Mews 10-1 (9-4) Tracked winner, ridden 2f out, weakened inside final furlong, 4th of 9, 4 1/2l behind Koraleva Tectona (9-11) at Epsom Downs 7f flls hcp 0-75 (5) gd in Jul.
Maid Of Stone (IRE) 20-1 (8-5) Led, ridden 4f out, headed over 2f out, soon weakened, 12th of 13, well behind Teeky (9-2) at Newmarket 1m 4f fll hcp (5) gd in Jul.
Count On Guest 12-1 (9-2) Held up, no chance final 2f, 8th of 10, 12l behind Cavendish Road (9-7) at Brighton 1m 3yo hcp 0-65 (6) fm.
Cactus Curtsey 9-2 (9-4) Tracked leaders until weakened well over 1f out, 7th of 13, 7l behind Bertie Southstreet (9-7) at Wolverhampton 6f hcp 0-60 (6) pol.
You've Been Mowed 10-1 (8-0) Slight lead to 5f out, chased winner to 4f out, soon weakened, 7th of 8, 8l behind Elusive Fame (9-1) at Southwell 7f 3yo hcp 0-80 (4) fbs.
Nchike 14-1 (9-3) Prominent on outer, ridden over 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 5th of 8, 13l behind Uncle Brit (9-2) at Southwell 1m 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) fbs in Jul.
