held up towards rear, hampered 7th, headway 3 out, driven and effort next, no extra flat
in touch, mistake 3 out, ridden and weakened before next
led, hit 6th, fell next
held up towards rear, headway 8th, ridden 3 out, no impression when blundered next
held up in rear, brought down 7th
in touch, lost place 3rd, struggling 7th, soon behind
midfield, hampered and lost place 7th, struggling next, soon behind, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out
tracked leader, challenging when left in lead 7th, headed next, soon ridden and weakened
headway 8th, driven approaching 2 out, edged left and one pace flat
held up towards rear, headway halfway, led 9th, driven out flat
hit 6th, struggling next, soon lost touch
held up in touch, headway to lead 8th, headed next, ridden approaching 2 out, weakened approaching last
tracked leaders, pushed along 3 out, ridden and weakened before next
in touch, pushed along 5th, ridden and weakened 7th
held up in touch, brought down 7th
held up in rear, headway 9th, effort and slightly outpaced 2 out, kept on same pace flat
held up, pushed along 9th, soon ridden and no impression
held up towards rear, headway approaching 3 out, driven and effort next, one pace when not fluent last
towards rear, pushed along 8th, headway under pressure approaching 3 out, no impression from next
in touch, ridden and outpaced after 9th, no impression
A cracking contest to get the day underway with a maximum field doing battle. The raising of the weights hasn't done Spectrometer any favours, but he is a classy performer, who still looks to be on the upgrade and may well find the improvement needed on this first attempt over this trip. From the yard that won this last year with Sudden Shock, Inching Closer deserves plenty of respect. The winner of the Pertemps Final at the Festival off a mark of 130, he looks to have plenty on in this off a 12lbs higher mark, but it would be dangerous to underestimate him, as he is unexposed and may be capable of further improvement. He can again take care of Guard Duty, Carlovent, Rostropovich and Ballysicyos, who were all behind him there, even though he meets them on disadvantageous terms. The lightly weighted Priests Bridge will ensure that there is no hanging around, but whether she is quite good enough at this level remains to be seen. Yeoman's Point, an early casualty here last year, looks to have been laid out for this. He can be forgiven his effort at Cheltenham last month, as that was his first outing since November, where he made Native Emperor pull out all the stops. With the ability to go on most types of ground a bonus, he could well be the one to beat. Calling Brave doesn't look badly treated off 125, and he looks sure to appreciate this step up in trip. However, Mick Fitzgerald prefers Valerio, who has yet to prove himself on a faster surface. Springfield Scally will be pressing Priest's Bridge for the early lead, but he may find the ground too lively for him, while it wouldn't be a surprise to see an improved showing from Thari on this faster surface. From the same family as the high-class stayer Light Cavalry, he looks sure to appreciate this stamina test and should run well at a big price.
