prominent, went 3rd 3f out, soon ridden, lost place, weakened over 2f out
held up in touch, ridden 3f out, no headway, weakened over 2f out
mid-division, headway on inner to go 3rd 2f out, no impression on winner final furlong, kept on same pace
held up, ridden over 3f out, no progress over 2f out, soon beaten
tracked leaders, ridden to chase winner 2f out, no impression final furlong, stayed on same pace
steadied start, held up in rear, ridden over 3f out, soon detached, weakened over 2f out
steadied start, raced keenly towards rear, some late headway from over 1f out, never nearer
tracked winner to 2f out, weakened over 1f out, eased inside final furlong
made all, led, ridden, quickened clear 2f out, edged right final furlong, driven out
steadied start, settled towards rear, steady headway on inner from 2f out, stayed on final furlong, nearest finish
In what looks like an open handicap to round things off the often difficult to win with RAWDON looks exceptionally well handicapped but will have Man Of Gwent and Hammer in close attendance. Trainer Gay Kellaway managed to get this one to break a long losing streak two starts ago in some style. Ultimately that form has been weak and he was back to his near miss best last time but he amazingly returns here off a mark three pounds lower than he carried to victory so this looks another really good chance. Man Of Gwent, on the other hand, is still nine pounds worse off than his last scoring performance and as a result as struggled a bit. That said he ran better under this rating last time and it looks as if he'll have less to beat here. Hammer is still a maiden after eight starts and appears to be treated a lot more fairly than his solid effort in his solitary handicap start back in December. Running well enough in maidens improvement is expected in his return this type of race. Eseej ran with credit off a mark one pound lower in a similar contest last time and could take advantage of being near the bottom of the weights while Morbick will be competitive on these terms but might need an easing in his rating to score gain. So plenty in with chances but Rawdon looks best treated.
Sommersturm (GER) 40-1 (9-8) Always towards rear, tailed off over 2f out, last of 10, 33l behind River Ardeche (8-2) at Southwell 1m 4f hcp 0-85 (4) fbs in Jan.
Man of Gwent (UAE) 7-2fav (8-8) Held up in mid-division of main group, headway 2f out, effort entering final furlong, driven and kept on same pace, 3rd of 9, 1 1/2l behind King Olav (9-5) at Lingfield 1m 2f hcp 0-85 (4) pol.
Apache Fort 15-2 (9-9) Held up behind mid-division, ridden and no headway over 1f out, stayed on same pace, 7th of 9, 5l behind Mission Control (9-1) at Lingfield 1m 5f hcp 0-75 (5) pol in Jan.
Rawdon (IRE) 8-11fav (8-9) Tracked winner, led over 2f out, driven and headed entering final furlong, kept on same pace, 2nd of 3, nk behind Nawamees (9-0) at Southwell 1m 4f clm (6) fbs.
Morbick 8-1 (9-2) Mid-division, headway over 2f out, ridden to chase leading pair over 1f out, one pace, 3rd of 11, 3 1/2l behind Laurel Creek (9-0) at W'hampton 1m 4f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Andaman Sunset 16-1 (8-10) In rear of main group, ridden 4f out, weakened 3f out, last of 9, 16l behind King Olav (9-5) at Lingfield 1m 2f hcp 0-85 (4) pol.
Masterofceremonies 40-1 (8-13) Started slowly, ridden 3f out, plugged on, 5th of 7, 3 1/2l behind Brouhaha (8-10) at W'hampton 1m 1f hcp 0-75 (5) pol.
Hammer 9-2 (9-3) Led until headed over 3f out, regained lead over 1f out, soon headed, one pace final furlong, 4th of 8, 3 1/2l behind Quite A Fella (9-3) at Lingfield 1m 4f mdn stk (5) pol in Jan.
Eseej (USA) 7-1 (8-12) Chased leader, pushed along 3f out, led over 1f out, soon hung right, headed 1f out, no chance with winner, 2nd of 8, 3l behind Dishdasha (9-1) at Kempton 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) pol.
Thorny Mandate 7-1 (9-4) Keen, ridden and some progress 2f out, 5th of 10, 15l behind Summer Lodge (8-13) at W'hampton 1m 4f hcp 0-70 (5) pol in Oct.
