steadied start, held up, went 2nd over 5f out, led 3f out, ridden over 1f out, ran on well final furlong
tracked leader, pushed along over 4f out, ridden well over 3f out, chased winner over 2f out, kept on final furlong, no chance with winner
led, ridden and headed 3f out, weakened final 2f
Just the three runners but a competitive contest regardless with narrow preference for Hecuba, who gets the nod over Blythe Knight and Rocket Ship. The selection looked a filly to stay on the right side of when beating the Loder hotpot Massomah in impressive fashion in a Ripon maiden in April. Although disappointing when only fifth in the Cheshire Oaks subsequently, a lot of the stable's horses ran below par at Chester and the Barry Hills-trained filly is taken to bounce back to form here. Rocket Ship may take on the selection for the lead but needs to improve on the evidence of his recent effort at Newbury behind Prince Nureyev and, as with Blythe Knight, it may be that he wants a softer surface to show his best form.
