led, headed 7f out, soon ridden and weakened
held up towards rear, headway to chase leaders 5f out, ridden over 3f out, effort 2f out, kept on under pressure
mid-division, headway 7f out, driven to lead 2f out, headed well inside final furlong, no extra
held up in mid-division, headway over 4f out to track leaders, effort and chance 2f out, kept on one pace
towards rear, headway to chase leaders over 4f out, effort over 3f out, no extra final 2f
in touch, headway to lead 7f out, headed 2f out, weakened final furlong
towards rear, headway to chase leaders over 4f out, effort 3f out, weakened over 1f out
towards rear, pushed along and headway over 4f out, no impression final 3f
towards rear, headway over 4f out, soon ridden and beaten
with leader, pushed along halfway, soon weakened
in touch, ridden 4f out, soon weakened
mid-division, headway 6f out, effort 3f out, stayed on under pressure to lead well inside final furlong
tracked leaders, close up 6f out, ridden and weakened over 3f out
towards rear, never dangerous
tracked leaders, pushed along 7f out, soon ridden and weakened
mid-division, headway 5f out, ridden and no extra final 3f
mid-division, headway over 5f out, ridden and weakened over 3f out
always behind, lost touch halfway
Premium First gets the vote in the finale, with Spike And Divel, Magic Dragon and Le Biassais sure to have their supporters. The last named hails from a yard that always do well in this sphere, especially with those owned by Ashleybank Investments, so a big run would not be a surprise on his debut. However, there was a lot to like about the performance of Premium First on his racecourse bow, enough to make him the selection. Third to Scotch Corner at Wetherby in November, this point-to-point winner should have learnt enough to make him a major player here. Spike And Divel was sent off as favourite on his British debut at Huntingdon but could only finish fourth. Nevertheless he shaped with promise and should be found a suitable opportunity in due course, as should Magic Dragon, a beaten favourite at Worcester in May. His stable also run two others here, so watch the market, but in any case we return to Premium First as our idea of the winner.
