held up mid-division, headway over 1f out, ran on final furlong
chased leaders, effort over 2f out when saddle flipped
towards rear, never dangerous
led, ridden and headed over 1f out, soon behind
in touch, led over 1f out, headed approaching final furlong, stayed on same pace
towards rear, headway over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
held up behind leaders, led approaching final furlong, ran on
mid-division, effort 2 furlongs out, stayed on final furlong
towards rear, headway over 1f out, ridden and stayed on final furlong
slowly into stride and always behind
prominent, pushed along halfway, ridden over 1f out, no extra inside final furlong
prominent, effort over 1f out, stayed on same pace inside final furlong
slowly into stride and never a factor
We will opt for Midnight Parkes in the finale but there are any number of others to consider, including No Grouse, Desert Arc, Smirfy's Party and Bollin Edward. On the face of things, the selection does not have particularly good recent credentials for this race. However, he is fairly lightly raced, is now rated seven pounds lower than for his most-recent win - although that did come in 2002 - is a course and distance winner and has fared well with the draw and Kevin Darley has been booked. Looking at his opponents. Desert Arc was promoted to first spot at Redcar last time. Given that that race was a maiden race for amateurs, the form is a little hard to quantify but a handicap rating of 55, including a seven-pound penalty, does not seem overly excessive and he can go well again, particularly given that Kieren Fallon has been booked to ride. Blue Patrick won a valuable claimer at Ascot last July but has disappointed since. No Grouse is now rated two-pounds lower than when winning at Chester last July and, given that he would have needed his latest run, looks to hold solid claims if operating at somewhere near the top of his game. Other course and distance winners in the line-up are Val de Maal and Linden's Lady and they both hold chances, although the first-named is poorly drawn. The latter is dropping in the weights but might be picked off late if electing to make the running. Of the others, Palanzo has looked like he is coming into form in his last two runs, and Marshallspark, a stablemate of No Grouse, has claims based on his best form of 2003. Albashoosh has won from higher marks than today but rarely wins. He is one of three runners from the David Nicholls stable, the others being Palanzo and Smirfy's Party, who is now back on a winning mark, so give him all due consideration too. Downland got back to winning form at Ayr last time but has been raised six pounds as a consequence, while Bollin Edward may not have won since 2002 but caught the eye in running at York 10 days ago. Captain Darling is another to be back on a winning mark, although his best form has been achieved over longer trips. As you can gather from all of this, this is a very competitive affair. Good luck if you are having a bet and we would not recommend anything other than small stakes on our selection, Midnight Parkes.
