chased clear leading pair, pushed along halfway, ridden and no response over 2f out, soon beaten, eased when no chance final furlong
reminders soon after start, soon chased winner and clear of rest, ridden well over 1f out, no impression final furlong
in touch on outside, headway to 3rd 2f out, soon ridden, no impression over 1f out
close up on rail in 4th, dropped to rear halfway, no real progress final 2f
made all, ridden over 1f out, ran on well
went right start, soon pushed along in rear, hung left from halfway, hard ridden 2f out, no real progress
It's hard to rule out any of these but we'll side with seasonal debutant TRAILBLAZING ahead of Sard and Duster. The last-named has been second on three of his five starts but remains a maiden and for some patience will be wearing thin. However, he travelled well over seven furlongs last time only to be headed late on and as many of his closest relatives were at their best over this trip there's a chance the drop back will help him register that first success. The concern is he's been handed a 4lb rise but along with the winner he pulled clear of the third placed horse and the form of the race appears solid and he's only narrowly overlooked. Sard is also hard to rule out, as seems the case with any Michael Jarvis trained runner at present. This filly must've shown plenty at home as a juvenile as she was initially entered in the Cheveley Park, but those plans had to be shelved as she proved hard to settle and ultimately disappointing. However, she returned with a cosy success at Goodwood before running with credit in a decent handicap last time; this is easier and, as with Duster, the step back to sprinting should help her to improve. Trailblazing gets the vote though on the strength of an impressive maiden win over today's distance. That was back in July and in truth he failed to repeat the form in two starts thereafter, but the way he beat a rival now rated 108 suggests this mark of 85 is extremely generous if he can get close to that level. Our hope is that like his half-brother Yamal this colt can make up into a handy three-year-old, starting with victory here, and we've no concerns about trip or ground although he should stay further in time. Of the rest Diamond Johnny G would have claims on his debut second to Swilly Ferry but his best efforts since have come over five furlongs, including a win last time, and the combination of a step up in trip and rise in the weights sees us look elsewhere. Planet Red is another whose best form deserves respect but he's only beaten one rival home this term and a 2lb drop in the ratings shouldn't make enough of a difference. With Yurituni beginning to look exposed our gaze returns to Trailblazing, who could light up the first.
Trailblazing 17-2 (9-7) Chased leader, driven 3f out, ridden 2f out, edged left under pressure well inside final furlong, kept on, 3rd of 6, 1 1/4l behind Lord Aeryn (7-13) at Epsom Downs 7f 2yo hcp 0-90 (3) gf in Oct.
Planet Red (IRE) 12-1 (8-11) Held up in rear of main group, ridden and struggling over 2f out, last of 13, 15l behind Meezaan (8-12) at Newbury 7f 3yo hcp 0-95 (3) gd in Apr.
Sard 11-2 (8-12) Took keen hold, chased leaders, ridden and every chance 2f out, weakened over 1f out, 8th of 15, 7l behind Miss Zooter (9-0) at Newbury 7f fll hcp (4) gf in May.
Yurituni 9-1 (9-7) Chased leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened over 1f out, last of 6, 9l behind Kingsgate Choice (9-1) at Ffos Las 5f 3yo hcp 0-80 (4) gf in May.
Duster 6-1 (9-4) Led on rail, ridden over 1f out, soon strongly pressed, driven and kept on, headed well inside final furlong, 2nd of 13, 1/2l behind Tell Halaf (8-11) at Lingfield 7f 3yo hcp 0-70 (5) gf in May.
Diamond Johnny G (USA) 5-2fav (9-0) Chased leaders, ridden 2f out, effort to lead inside final furlong, kept on, won at Folkestone 5f mdn stks (5) gf in Apr beating Fine Silk (9-5) by hd, 6 ran.
