always in rear, never in contention
always rear, never a factor
chased leaders, ridden along 5f out, stayed on under pressure final 2f, but never going pace of leaders
tracked leader to 7f out, weakened rapidly over 4f out
in touch on inside, weakened over 2f out, dismounted after line, finished lame
led to 3f out, weakened quickly inside final 2f
tracked leaders, went 2nd 7f out, ridden to lead 3f out, headed 2f out, weakened over 1f out
in touch, driven along from 5f out, stayed on same pace, no impression leaders final 2f
held up in mid-division, smooth headway from 4f out, led going well 2f out, ridden and headed 1f out, kept on but not pace of winner final furlong
held up in rear division, effort on outside and hard driven over 2f out, soon no impression and weakened
in rear, pushed along from halfway, passed weakening rivals final 2f, never a factor
in touch on inside until steady lost place and weakened from 5f out
held up in mid-division, smooth headway from 4f out, ridden 2f out, chased leader over 1f out, led 1f out, quickened clear
The longer trip will bring the best out of Mr Dinos and, even though he does not represent the best value on offer on today's card, he has plenty in his favour in his bid to retain his Gold-Cup crown; possibly with the most to fear from Westerner and Papineau, who are the two that spearhead the challenge presented by the rest. However, New South Wales and Alcazar add a further touch of class to this year's race and are others to seriously consider as leading players. While a strong word also has to be passed on about the enigmatic Royal Rebel, who has only raced twice since winning this in 2002, but would not be making the journey from Middleham if he were not up to the task in hand. Johnny Murtagh revives the successful partnership and it will not be surprising to see the Irishman roust the gelding along at an early stage. Papineau made the most of a good chance at the weights when scoring at Sandown last time and will be a serious threat to all again here. However, he does have to conclusively prove his stamina this afternoon and will not have the luxury of being able to settle off a modest pace in this company. His stablemate, New South Wales, also has a few questions to answer in this area and he will do very well to last home over this extra half mile. Westerner, on the other hand, will relish every yard of the trip and should confirm his superiority over Alcazar as things unfold. Nevertheless, he has to prove his effectiveness on this ground and may find this his undoing when push come to shove. Which brings us back to Mr Dinos, who is a versatile performer and seems to run his race whatever the prevailing underfoot conditions present him with. Add to that his abundant stamina and resolution in a battle and we have the ideal profile for a Gold Cup winner in Mr Dinos, whose season will reach it's crescendo today.
