held up in rear, headway 3f out, ridden to chase leaders 2f out, stayed on to take 2nd towards finish
held up, headway to chase leaders halfway, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened
held up in touch, ridden over 4f out, weakened final 3f
led, headed well over 4f out, ridden over 3f out, weakened 2f out
tracked leaders, ridden over 4f out, weakened final 3f
tracked leaders, ridden well over 1f out, no extra when lost 2nd towards finish
with leaders, led well over 4f out, ridden and headed over 2f out, soon weakened
held up in touch, headway over 3f out, ridden to lead over 2f out, edged right over 1f out, clear inside final furlong
Motivator was mightily impressive on his Newmarket debut and can give Kieren Fallon a Group 1 winner to ease the blow of losing his title, with Albert Hall the main stumbling block. The ground could be a key factor here, and one horse who should have no problems is Motivator, who absolutely hacked up in such conditions on his Newmarket debut. A son of Montjeu, he only had to be pushed out by Fallon to beat Sunday Symphony by no less than six lengths, and the runner-up has gone on to score twice since. Michael Bell has been chomping at the bit to get his Derby prospect back onto the racetrack but gave the Royal Lodge a miss due to the fast ground and his patience can be rewarded here. Obviously, anything that Aidan O'Brien saddles commands the utmost respect, as he has sent out four of the last seven winners, and the likes of High Chaparral and Bryan Boru have gone on to Classic success as three-year-olds. Albert Hall was beaten on his debut at The Curragh last month but quickly made amends when landing the Group 2 Beresford Stakes there next time, and this strong galloper is sure to go close for Ballydoyle. His stablemate Hills Of Aran should not be totally excluded from calculations as he looked open to plenty of improvement when taking a Galway maiden. He is by Sadler's Wells but is a half-brother to smart seven-furlong horse Trade Fair. Mick Channon has a big team of juveniles to choose from as well and the fact that he relies on Henrik speaks volumes. He worked well in recent work and should give a good account, while Mark Johnston, who won the Dewhurst last week with Shamardal, relies on impressive York winner Elliots World. However, he was behind another O'Brien inmate, Scandinavia in the Royal Lodge, so the Irish trainer will have a good line to work on. For the winner we return to Motivator who can enhance his own Classic prospects by remaining unbeaten.
