slowly into stride, held up, never dangerous
close up, led over 1f out, ridden out
soon led, ridden and headed over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
held up, ridden over 2f out, stayed on final furlong, never able to challenge
behind, kept on over 1f out, never nearer
always towards rear
dwelt, towards rear, hampered over 4f out, never nearer
slowly into stride, always towards rear
chased leader until over 3f out
close up, ridden to chase leader over 3f out, short of room 2f out, ridden and kept on final furlong
Some familiar names can be led home by Queens Rhapsody, who appeals on the grounds of value over Quito, who received a hefty knock when he last raced and needs to conclusively prove that he suffered no ill-effects under race conditions. Dandoun is another to have a close look at, as he put in an improved performance last time and he can confirm that he still has what it takes to be a force at this level. A dual winner of the Doncaster Mile when with John Dunlop, the seven-year-old has obviously had his sights lowered considerably these days. However, he may have needed the run when finishing behind the selection last time and should not be ruled out too quickly today. Similar comments apply to Rafferty, who is another old-stager that is on a retrieval mission. Still, he is notoriously hard to win with and others appear to be more reliable characters when it boils down to a test of resilience. Another that is not without a chance is Glaramara, who, at this time last season, was being prepared for a crack at the 1,000 Guineas . However, he does appear to be the second string of Alan Bailey's two-against-the-field on this occasion. So we switch to Queens Rhapsody, who is expected to have benefited from his short winter break and, with Joe Fanning back in the plate, a bold effort is expected from a partnership that have already been a successful team in the past.
