led early, soon tracking leader, driven to lead over 1f out, ran on well
with leader, lost place 2f out, eased final furlong
soon led, headed over 1f out, stayed on same pace final furlong
chased leaders, hard ridden to challenge over 1f out, never a threat
chased leaders on outside, under pressure halfway, weakened well over 1f out
outpaced in rear, headway on inside over 1f out, chased winner approaching final furlong, kept on same pace closing stages
Crosse Fire scored at Southwell on his return to action with a below-par You're Cool well beaten but the latter is better on this faster surface. Dark Side Dream was upped 9lb after finishing second in a maiden contest here and was well beaten last time, albeit in better company than this. But SHOWSTOPPA is also dropped in class for her return to action and could go close off her current mark having finished fourth at York back in October. Sandown winner Majestic Hero is back on a winning mark for his seasonal debut and is another to consider.
Dark Side Dream 12-1 (8-4) Tracked winner 2f, soon outpaced and lost place, rallied entering final furlong, stayed on, 3rd of 6, 4l behind Blue Aegean (9-7) at Lingfield 5f 3yo hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Mar.
Red Stripes (USA) 66-1 (9-5) Raced wide held up, ridden and weakened over 1f out, 9th of 10, 10l behind Lightscameraction (9-5) at Lingfield 5f cond stks (2) pol.
Majestic Hero (IRE) 3-1 (9-5) Slowly into stride, soon chasing leaders, ridden over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 5th of 7, 5l behind Goldcrest (8-13) at Windsor 5f 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) sft in Oct.
Crosse Fire 11-2 (8-4) Prominent, led 4f out, ridden over 1f out, clear inside final furlong, ran on well, won at Southwell 5f 3yo hcp (4) fbs in Mar beating Moon River (8-7) by 1 3/4l, 6 ran.
You're Cool 9-2 (8-10) Soon outpaced in rear, never in contention, well beaten over 1f out, 5th of 6, 13l behind Crosse Fire (8-4) at Southwell 5f 3yo hcp (4) fbs in Mar.
Showstoppa 10-1 (8-6) Keen, prominent, ridden over 1f out, kept on one pace, lost 3rd near finish, 4th of 10, 4 1/2l behind Miami Carousel (8-5) at York 6f 2yo hcp 0-95 (3) sft in Oct.