held up in touch, ridden over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong
held up in rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, kept on same pace
tracked leader, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
held up in touch, ridden to lead final furlong, kept on and edged left last 100 yards
held up towards rear, headway over 1f out, every chance inside final furlong, kept on and held towards finish
led, ridden and headed final furlong, no extra
held up towards rear, pushed along and weakened over 1f out
tracked leader, ridden and no extra inside final furlong
Wednesday's Pontefract winner Ventura Secret merits respect under similar ground conditions, but it's worth noting that this contest is a grade higher and conceivably his recent busy spell could eventually take its toll. Zodiakos is another horse that has been in fine fettle (since the application of headgear), and he might just have another race in the locker despite being beaten in a fair contest at Thirsk last weekend, but the vote just goes to the recently acquired Jim Goldie trained top-weight STRONG STEPS . Too pardon a pun he looked strong when upped to 1m at Ayr in late July, and having won from higher marks earlier in his career, a subsequent 4lb rise might not be enough to stop him following up.
Strong Steps 17-2 (10-3) Keen close up, ridden to chase leader over 1f out, led inside final furlong, won at Ayr 1m hcp (4) gs in Jul beating Crazy Tornado (9-4) by 3/4l, 12 ran.
Bouclier (IRE) 7-1 (9-4) Raced wide close up, headway entering final furlong, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Lingfield 1m hcp (4) pol in Apr beating Golden Wedding (9-2) by 3/4l, 5 ran.
Intense Style (IRE) 16-1 (9-9) Dwelt held up, ridden 2f out, never near leaders, 8th of 14, 11 1/2l behind Bossipop (9-6) at Pontefract 6f hcp (3) sft in Jul.
Zodiakos (IRE) 8-1 (9-4) Mid-division on outside, closed 6f out, driven and kept on same pace final furlong, 5th of 17, 3 3/4l behind Florenza (9-4) at Thirsk 1m hcp (3) gd in Aug.
Rashford's Double (IRE) 40-1 (8-0) Mid-division, pushed along over 3f out, weakened inside final 2f, 11th of 12, 10 1/2l behind D'bai (9-7) at Ascot 1m hcp (2) gs in Jul.
Pullman Brown (USA) 9-2 (8-13) Held up in rear, ridden over 1f out, soon weakened, 6th of 8, 11 1/4l behind Euchen Glen (9-7) at Ayr 1m 2f hcp (4) gf in May.
Town Charter (USA) 12-1 (8-10) Mid-division, driven to chase leaders over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, kept on same pace, no impression, 6th of 12, 7 1/4l behind Northgate Lad (9-12) at Newcastle 7f hcp (3) pol in Jul.
Ventura Secret (IRE) 2-1fav (8-13) Made virtually all, clear briefly over 1f out, edged slightly right inside final furlong, held on bravely, won at Pontefract 1m hcp (5) sft in Aug beating Dandyleekie (10-0) by nk, 8 ran.
Timeless Art (IRE) 6-1 (10-2) In touch, ridden over 2f out, weakened final furlong, 9th of 11, 10 1/2l behind Whispered Kiss (9-4) at Newmarket 1m hcp (4) sft in Aug.