tracked leader, ridden over 2f out, weakened inside final furlong
raced keenly, held up, improved to chase leader 2f out, led on bit and hung right approaching final furlong, soon in command, idled towards finish
held up in last place, ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out
tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, kept on same pace
led, ridden 2f out, headed and hampered approaching final furlong, stayed on
Nonrunner
Nonrunner
As Barry Hills' stable cat is likely to be busy, it'll have to be SERVOCA that carries our hopes in this interesting little handicap. Bouvardia and All About You are others to bear in mind, while Olynard showed plenty of promise as a juvenile and is pitched at a realistic level for his seasonal debut. Ralph Beckett's horses are yet to fire on all cylinders, though. So it may be a good idea to monitor the betting before getting involved with this fellow. All About You won a decent looking maiden at Windsor at the back end of last season and, as that form is working out well, the William Haggas-trained colt is one to seriously consider. The yard is going well and he will be a big threat if he has trained on. Bouvardia, like the selection, has already proved he retains ability and should be capable of paying his way before too long. However, the form of his reappearance took a knock at Chester on Thursday, so he may be a risky proposition from a 3lb higher mark. Therefore, sticking with the bang-in-form Hills team appeals as the best option on this occasion. Servoca obliged as expected when winning an all-weather maiden in March - justifying a very short price. He was then far from disgraced in a better race at Newmarket and remains a colt with plenty of potential. Life will get a lot tougher for him if he wins again, so this may be the time to side with Servoca before he takes an enforced step up in class.
Smokey Ryder 28-1 (9-0) In touch, pushed along halfway, hard ridden over 1f out, driven and kept on inside final furlong, never going pace to get competitive, 6th of 9, 2 3/4l behind Instalment (9-7) at Salisbury 6f hcp 0-100 (2) gf.
Bouvardia 85-40 (9-7) In touch, headway over 1f out, ran on well inside final furlong, not reach winner, 2nd of 7, nk behind Aakef (9-5) at Yarmouth 5f hcp 0-90 (3) gd in Apr.
Olynard (IRE) 33-1 (9-2) Soon behind, never dangerous, 12th of 22, 10l behind Total Gallery (8-9) at Redcar 6f 2yo Listed auc stks (1) gd in Oct.
All About You (IRE) 10-11fav (9-3) Prominent, led inside final 2f, in command when edged left final furlong, kept on well, won at Windsor 6f 2yo mdn (5) gd in Oct beating Desert Creek (9-3) by 1 1/4l, 10 ran.
Servoca (CAN) 7-1 (8-8) Raced alone on stand's side, overall leader, headed inside final furlong, no extra, 3rd of 11, 4l behind Dark Mischief (8-10) at Newmarket 6f hcp 0-100 (2) gf in Apr.
Haigh Hall 10-3 (8-12) Held up, ridden along and headway over 1f out, once pace final furlong, 5th of 10, 4l behind Knavesmire (8-12) at Beverley 5f 2yo fll lst stks (1) gf in May '08.
Saif Al Fahad (IRE) 11-10fav (8-13) Chased leaders, led into final furlong, ran on well, ridden out, won at Wolverhampton 5f 2yo mdn auc stks (6) pol in Dec beating Desert Bump (8-11) by 2 1/2l, 11 ran.
Raimond Ridge (IRE) 10-1 (8-13) Mid-division, some headway on outside 2f out, not troubled leaders over 1f out, 6th of 12, 6l behind Gilt Edge Girl (9-5) at Windsor 6f 3yo hcp 0-75 (5) gf.
