always towards rear
held up, always going well, headway 2f out, shaken up approaching final furlong, soon ridden, led inside final furlong, kept on
slowly into stride, held up in rear, never a factor
chased leaders, ridden throughout, stayed on same pace inside final furlong
always prominent, ridden halfway, kept on same pace
held up, headway to chase leaders halfway, soon ridden, weakened and eased down final furlong
soon led, ridden and headed inside final furlong, kept on gamely
held up, outpaced halfway, headway approaching final furlong, stayed on inside
chased leaders over 4f
with leader til ridden and weakened over 1f out
An open contest and not too many can be confidently ruled out. However, the lightly weighted Pilgrim Princess has been holding her own at this sort of level and is marginally preferred over Blakeshall Quest, Grandma Lilly and Boavista, who are all capable of going close today. So too is Eager Angel, who showed great tenacity when winning at Wolverhampton last week. The drop in trip should not be a problem for the six-year-old but she does have a little to find with Playful Spirit at the weights and is opposable on the balance of her form over six furlongs. So too is Zagala, who will do well to hold off the selection on these terms. So, in a race that is likely to go right down to the wire, Pilgrim Princess is only a slender preference to emerge on top this afternoon. The Eric Alston-trained filly acts well on this surface and has a fair amount of speed when she is on song. However, she has also won off this sort of mark on the turf in the past and looks to be quite well treated at the moment. Pilgrim Princess has strung together a series of good efforts in defeat of late and can gain some due compensation if she continues in good heart today. Grandma Lilly is probably better giving weight away to lesser rivals and is a viable alternative at a fair price.
