tracked leader, challenged going well 2f out, led inside final 2f, ridden and edged left inside final furlong, held on well towards finish
soon outpaced towards rear, soon headway 2f out, stayed on from over 1f out, never going pace to reach leaders
chased leaders, ridden halfway, weakened 2f out
went right start, soon chased leaders, weakening when edged right from inside final 2f
dwelt, raced on outside and held up towards rear, weakened 2f out
dwelt, soon recovered to chase leaders, ridden halfway, headway to chase winner inside final furlong, ran on under pressure
broke well, led on rails, pushed along halfway, headed inside final 2f, stayed chasing winner to inside final furlong, not quicken
went right start, soon well outpaced in rear until passed weakening rivals final furlong, never a factor
slightly hampered start, soon pushed along towards rear, weakened 2f out
The Jeremy Noseda-trained Blue Dakota has answered every question asked of him so far and is the obvious choice to land this Group 3 prize. With Cougar Cat, Joseph Henry and Mystical Land others well worth considering as alternatives if the price on the main selection proves to be too restrictive. A solid mention also has to be passed on about Skywards, who showed the benefit of his debut run to land an emphatic success at Newmarket under Frankie Dettori last month. More is now required of the son of Machiavellian but, with the best of the draw and ground conditions to suit, he is entitled to get involved in the scrap to fill the frame. The same comments apply to Dance Night, who has now got the hang of things after his valiant effort in finishing second in the Brocklesby on the first day of the current season. Subsequently unbeaten in both his starts, Dance Night has shown a real relish for a battle and, if any rain arrives, he should not be dismissed lightly with his claims. However, as the weather centre are not predicting substantial downpours in the Ascot area in the foreseeable future, it may pay to concentrate on those with form on top of the ground. Cougar Cat, a very well-bred sort from the Aidan O'Brien camp, bounced off the ground on his debut in a maiden at Tipperary, where he trounced a potentially useful field with his blistering turn of foot. O'Brien is confident of winning further races with this son of Storm Cat and he looks sure to go close if being drawn wide does not prove to be a hindrance to his chance. Joseph Henry, on the other hand, showed his versatility when powering through the mud to hammer a modest bunch at Nottingham when he was last seen out. He had previously handle firm ground when making a winning debut and, considering his trainer's record at this course, he is very much respected. It will be interesting to note how he behaves in the preliminaries though, as this is the furthest this Middleham-bred animal will have ever travelled in his life. So a late play is advised for anyone tempted to get involved with Joseph Henry today. Conversely Blue Dakota has acted like an old-stager during his previous visits to the racecourse and will be a very tough customer to deal with here. The son of Namid has yet to seriously be challenged in his exploits to date so it will take a really good one to get past Blue Dakota if he attempts to make all again this afternoon.
