held up in rear, effort 2f out, soon ridden and weakened
held up in rear, wide bend over 4f out, pushed along on outer 3f out, no response and beaten
soon led, ridden and headed inside final 3f, weakened rapidly 2f out
tracked leaders, ridden to lead narrowly approaching final furlong, kept on well under pressure, until found no extra and headed near finish
close-up, ridden and unable to quicken 2f out, stayed on to take 3rd inside final furlong, not pace of leaders
keen, tracked leaders, ridden to challenge and chance approaching 2f out, soon one pace
raced on outer, tracked leaders, wide bend over 4f out, pushed along 3f out, soon outpaced
raced keenly, tracked leader, ridden to lead narrowly inside final 3f, narrowly headed approaching final furlong, rallied gamely to lead near finish
Momtic is a speculative choice in this year's Esher Cup, with Appalachian Trail, Colour Wheel and Overdrawn others in with a shout. Momtic was brought along steadily as a juvenile and it was no surprise when he came good at Windsor on his final start, having looked unlucky at Thirsk previously. He made steady headway when third to Show No Fear at Kempton on his reappearance, will have no problem with the ground or trip, and should give Kevin Darley a fine ride. Appalachian Trail is seen as the main danger as he has been laid out for this. Ian Semple's charge carries a five-pound-penalty for his Ripon victory, but as that came on only his fourth career start, he should be well up to shrugging off the rise. That could turn out to be a blessing in disguise though as Robert Winston can now do the weight, and a bold show is envisaged. As for the rest, the main players will line up without a prep race and so it remains to be seen whether Colour Wheel and Overdrawn will be sharp enough. Both will pick up handicaps as the season progresses, but for now we are going to take a chance with Momtic over Appalachian Trail.
