led, ridden and headed over 3f out, soon lost place
close up, weakened over 1f out
pushed along towards rear, headway on outer over 2f out, no extra final furlong
pushed along towards rear, ridden and headway over 2f out, chased winner final furlong, no extra towards finish
in rear, stayed on from over 1f out, never dangerous
pushed along towards rear, no impression
with leaders, led over 3f out, ridden and headed over 1f out, one pace
close up, ridden over 2f out, one pace
chased leaders, led over 1f out, kept on well
With the ground very much on the soft side we will take Mecca's Mate to score in this Group 3 contest, with Sesmen a danger and both Firenze and Dark Missile having chances. The selection has proved herself on bottomless ground, having run well on it at Newcastle in June. Although she has never won on ground worse than good to soft that is not a major concern and she seems equipped to take this prize. Sesmen will be popular after running in Group 1 company on two of her last three starts. Even so, she has been beaten comfortably in both of those plus a Group 3 in between, so she is no good thing here. Firenze is another who likes to get her toe in and has been running well in defeat of late. She has Listed wins to her name and must be taken seriously, and she could be the main danger to the selection, while Dark Missile steps up in class but can also handle cut so could make a bold showing. An interesting contest then and Mecca's Mate gets our vote.
Angus Newz 8-1 (9-13) Prominent, led over 4f out, ridden and headed over 1f out, edged left and one pace, 4th of 8, 7l behind Nobilissima (8-1) at Warwick 6f hcp 0-95 (3) sft.
Dark Missile 22-1 (8-6) Tracked far side leader, led overall 2f out, hard ridden final furlong, held on gamely, won at Ascot 6f hcp 0-110 (2) gd in Jun beating Intrepid Jack (9-1) by a nk, 26 ran.
Firenze 25-1 (9-1) Switched right soon after start, not clear run 2f out, stayed on final furlong, nearest finish, 9th of 21, 5l behind Soldier's Tale (9-4) at Ascot 6f Grp 1 (1) gd in Jun.
Gloved Hand 11-4fav (8-7) Held up in rear, smooth headway over 1f out, shaken up to lead entering final furlong, edged left and ran on, won at Newmarket 6f fll stk (3) gs in Jun beating Medley (7-12) by 1 1/2l, 7 ran.
Mecca's Mate 8-1 (9-3) Held up, headway over 2f out, soon ridden, ran on to lead inside final furlong, driven out, won at Ayr 5f lst fll stk (1) gd beating Final Dynasty (8-12) by a hd, 11 ran.
Perfect Story (IRE) 10-1 (9-8) Mid-division, pulled hard, effort over 2f out, soon weakened, 14th of 15, 14l behind Gloved Hand (9-8) at Newmarket 7f hcp 0-95 (3) gd in Jun.
Blue Echo 14-1 (8-3) Never a threat, last of 11, more than 10l behind Beauty Is Truth (8-6) at Chantilly 5f Grp 2 (1) sft in Jun.
Lady Grace (IRE) 12-1 (9-0) Keen hold in mid-division, ridden 3f out, weakened 2f out, 9th of 19, 9l behind Barshiba (8-8) at Ascot 1m lst fll hcp (1) gf in Jun.
Sesmen 50-1 (9-0) Raced in 2nd, led 2f out to over 1f out, one pace, 6th of 13, 6l behind Darjina (9-0) at Longchamp 1m fll stks Grp 1 (1) gd in May.
Theann 25-1 (8-12) Towards rear, headway 2f out, stayed on same pace, 7th of 15, 8l behind Tariq (9-1) at Ascot 7f 3yo Grp 3 (1) gf in Jun.
Pick A Nice Name 13-2 (8-6) Towards rear, headway to chase leaders over 2f out, led over 1f out, kept on, won at Pontefract 6f fll hcp (3) sft beating Robema (9-4) by 2 1/2l, 9 ran.
