took keen hold early, tracked leader to 2f out, soon ridden and weakened over 1f out
took keen hold early, prominent, went 2nd 2f out, ridden to lead over 1f out, headed inside final furlong, kept on, no extra towards finish
pulled hard, in touch, pushed along 3f out, weakened over 2f out
led at steady pace, quickened 3f out, ridden 2f out, headed over 1f out, weakened final furlong
held up in touch, headway on outer over 2f out, chased leaders 2f out, ridden over 1f out, kept on same pace
held up in rear, good headway between horses inside final 2f, challenged 1f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, stayed on well, readily
A tremendous advert for 'Big Fellas and Silks Nightclub'. Ella arguably needs more rain to be at her best so preference is for RESPLENDENT LIGHT whose trainer William Muir has a good record with the runners he sends here. The selection comes here on the back of a fine effort in defeat at York. Following a quiet spell earlier in the season, the gelding looks well-handicapped like many from the yard and a repeat of that York run may be enough for this course winner to score again. Ella is a fine mare but this daughter of Pivotal has proven that she is happiest rolling around in the mud, so a bigger threat may be Night Crescendo who drops in grade today and although the handicapper is loathe to relent, this mark of 90 could be within his reach. A deluge of rain would bring Shaloo Diamond into the equation as he steps back up in trip, Jabal Tariq is another who favours soft ground, whilst the drop in trip looks sure to suit Cyborg although he looks high enough in the weights. High Ambition, a recent Newcastle winner, completes the field but he needs to find further improvement for this longer trip and so the safer option looks to be Resplendent Light who is nominated accordingly.
Night Crescendo (USA) 12-1 (8-10) Chased leaders, driven 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 11th of 15, 6l behind Munsef (9-7) at Ascot 1m 4f hcp 105 (2) gf in Jul.
Resplendent Light 22-1 (9-8) Held up mid-division, ridden and headway over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong, 3rd of 11, 1l behind Cosmic Sun (8-11) at York 1m 4f hcp 0-100 (2) gd in Jul.
Shaloo Diamond 11-4fav (9-1) Held up, headway over 3f out, led approaching 2f out, headed approaching 1f out, stayed on, 2nd of 9, 2 3/4l behind Hillview Boy (9-0) at Doncaster 1m 2f hcp 0-100 (2) sft.
Jabal Tariq 14-1 (9-9) Held up towards rear, never a factor, 10th of 15, 18l behind Cool Strike (8-6) at Newmarket 1m 4f hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Jul.
Cyborg 4-1 (9-9) Held up, ridden and headway 3f out, went 4th over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 5th of 10, 9l behind Aaim To Prosper (9-3) at Newbury 2m hcp 0-80 (4) gs in Jul.
High Ambition 9-2 (9-2) Missed break, towards rear, headed 3f out, soon ridden, stayed on well final furlong to lead close home, won at Newcastle 1m 2f hcp 0-70 (5) gf in Jun beating Society Venue (9-7) by hd, 11 ran.
Ella 6-1 (8-13) Made all, raced keen, ridden clear over 1f out, won at York 1m 4f hcap (2) hvy in Jul '08 beating Mull of Dubai (9-10) by 2 3/4l, 12 ran.
