dwelt, behind, ridden 3f out, kept on same pace, never on terms
led, ridden and headed well over 1f out, weakened final furlong
held up in touch, switched left 3f out, driven to lead 1f out, ran on well
tracked leader, led just inside 2f out, soon ridden, headed 1f out, kept on
with leader and keen, ridden 2f out, kept on same pace final furlong
tracked leaders, ridden 3f out, hung right from 2f out, weakened final furlong
held up, ridden 3f out, stayed on final furlong, never dangerous
held up, headway over 2f out, soon ridden, weakened inside final furlong
With none of these having got their head in front so far this year, one of them will break that trend tonight. Contractor has some solid handicap form to his name this term, and although he has been held off this mark, he does have a useful 5lb claimer on his back, which could make all the difference, and he gets the vote. Aunt Rita will need to settle much better than of late if she is to get home over this stiff seven-furlongs. Michael Bell's filly has been done no favours by the outside draw, as she is sure to see plenty of daylight from out there. Super Song is open to improvement and doesn't look to have been badly treated on this handicap debut, as he was runner-up to a 75 rated filly, giving her 5lbs, with another 72 rated rival nearly four-lengths away, and has been allotted a mark of 79, which puts him right in there with every chance. Out of a mare that won the Irish 1000 Guineas, Aljazeera is already worth a small fortune to breed with. Ben Hanbury's filly didn't run too badly behind subsequent winner Pantone back in May, but has been absent since and may need this. This is something of a drop in class for Polar Force, and if back to something like his best, would make short work of these, but Contractor is proven over this trip and on fast ground, so he is the sensible choice.
