mid-division, headway over 3f out, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened
with leader, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened
led, ridden and headed 2f out, no extra inside final furlong
soon behind, kept on inside final furlong, never dangerous
in touch, ridden over 3f out, weakened 2f out
mid-division, headway over 3f out, ridden over 2f out, kept on inside final furlong
slowly into stride, soon chasing leaders, not much room over 2f out, soon ridden, no extra inside final furlong
irons broke soon after start, soon pulled up
towards rear, ridden and headway 2f out, soon hung left, weakened final furlong
dwelt, towards rear, headway over 2f out, soon ridden, ran on inside final furlong, not reach winner
Although Charmatic has a little to prove if the ground stays on the fast side, she has shown slightly more progression than Citrine Spirit and Speedbird and is marginally preferred today. The lightly raced Our Jaffa and Catherine Howard are also open to a fair amount of improvement and are worth considering if they are supported in the preliminaries. However, the general consensus from the jockey to have ridden her is that Charmatic needs this better ground to be seen at her best and, as such, she is persevered with today. The handicapper has taken a chance in leaving her on a mark of just 65 and she could easily prove to be very well treated at the moment. Citrine Spirit is a previous course and distance winner and appeals as the best of the rest with Frankie Dettori doing the steering. However, the form of Charmatic's recent success at Beverley looks strong in the context of this race and she is the one they will all have to pass to win.