dwelt and behind, soon ridden along, effort when hung left over 2f, headway over 1f, no extra final furlong
towards rear and soon chased along, never dangerous
in touch, ridden along 3f out, weakened approaching final furlong
held up behind leaders, ridden and headway 2f out, stayed on final furlong, had no chance with winner
made all, clear halfway, edged left and pushed out final furlong, easily
mid-division, soon outpaced and ridden along, effort over 2f, no impression
in touch, ridden along halfway, driven over 1f, kept on same pace final furlong
soon under pressure and behind, never a factor
Nonrunner
Nonrunner
MAID OF AILSA stands out as an unexposed type and is selected ahead of North South Divide, Kilvickeon and Spic 'N' Span. The last named has dropped a number of hints that he can pay his way this winter and, speed being the name of the game, he can again play a strong supporting role today. Quite whether he is good enough to repel an up-and-coming rival is open to debate and 25 previous attempts to lose his maiden tag makes for a sorry tale. Kilvickeon has a similar profile and needs everything to drop into place for him. That said, there is not much hidden strength amongst the others, so he can go well at a fair price. North South Divide was just ahead of the selection at Lingfield in November and should make a bold bid to uphold the form. They meet again on the same terms and there is unlikely to be much between them again. However, Maid Of Ailsa has far scope for improvement and she is taken as the best bet in Southwell's opener.
Bilboa 7-1 (8-12) Held up, raced keenly, hampered over 2f out, soon hung right, headway over 1f out, weakened well inside final furlong, 4th of 8, 7l behind Marvin Gardens (9-3) at W'hampton 6f mdn aut stk (6) pol in Nov.
Comic Tales 66-1 (9-3) Soon outpaced, 10th of 11, 15l behind Tayyab (9-3) at W'hampton 5f mdn stk (5) pol in Oct.
Kilvickeon (IRE) 8-1 (9-3) Led, challenged from over 1f out, headed close home, 2nd of 4, nk behind Alexander Huricane (9-3) at W'hampton 5f mdn aut stk (6) pol in Jan.
Mickys Mate 25-1 (9-3) Prominent for 4f, last of 11, 32l behind Taqdeyr (9-3) at Southwell 7f 3yo mdn (5) fbs in Nov.
North South Divide (IRE) 10-11fav (9-3) Reared in stalls, chased winner, ridden well over 1f out, no impression, 2nd of 8, 2 1/2l behind Marvin Gardens (9-3) at W'hampton 6f mdn aut stk (6) pol in Nov.
Spic 'n Span 15-2 (8-7) Hampered start, soon tracked leaders, every chance, chased winner over 1f out, kept on, unable to quicken towards finish, 2nd of 12, 3/4l behind The Geester (8-13) at Southwell 5f hcp (6) fbs in Nov.
The Cube 40-1 (8-4) Slowly into stride, held up, raced keenly, always in rear, 10th of 12, 8l behind Grand Palace (9-0) at W'hampton 6f hcp 0-65 (6) pol in Nov.
Maid of Ailsa (USA) 6-5fav (8-12) Mid-division, chased leaders over 1f out, effort inside final furlong, stayed on, not reach leaders, 4th of 9, 2l behind Atheer Dubai (9-3) at Lingfield 5f mdn stk (5) pol in Nov.
Silk Gallery (USA) 28-1 (8-9) Chased leaders, outpaced over 2f out, soon ridden, no impression, 10th of 18, 13l behind Medici Time (9-3) at Redcar 6f mdn stk (5) gd in Oct.
The Brat 100-1 (9-0) Tracked leaders, ridden halfway, soon beaten, 6th of 10, 7l behind Monashee Brave (9-5) at Musselburgh 5f sll (6) gd in Nov '07.
Walragnek 20-1 (9-1) In rear, ridden well over 1f out, kept on final furlong, never nearer, 6th of 11, 4l behind Ryedane (8-13) at W'hampton 5f hcp 0-60 (6) pol in Nov.
Myriola 33-1 (8-4) Prominent, ridden over 2f out, weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 11, 9l behind One More Round (9-4) at W'hampton 6f hcp 0-65 (6) pol in Nov.
Stoneacre Baby (USA) 40-1 (8-5) Slowly into stride, soon chasing leaders on inside, hung right over 1f out, soon weakened, 7th of 8, 8l behind Wynberg (8-8) at Kempton 5f 3yo hcp (6) pol in Jan.
