raced centre, held up, headway 2f out, strong run to chase leader entering final furlong, ran on but held near finish
prominent centre, weakened 2f out, finished lame
led group towards far side, overall leader throughout, driven final furlong, held on well near finish
raced centre, keen hold and steady in touch, weakened over 1f out
raced centre, held up in rear, still plenty to do when hampered 2f out, good headway final furlong, finished well but not reached leaders
chased winner towards far side to over 3f out, weakened over 1f out
led centre group and not on terms when weakened over 1f out
reared start, raced centre, held up and never on terms
raced centre, held up, headway and edged right inside final 2f, no extra final furlong
raced centre, with leader until weakened rapidly 2f out
raced centre, headway far side 2f out, weakened final furlong
raced far side, prominent, chased winner over 3f out, unable to quicken
All ground comes alike to Moss Vale, who has a touch of class and can take this from The Tatling, Maltese Falcon and Fire Up The Band. The selection has not won for over a year, after completing a hat-trick, but aside from his latest outing in the July Cup, he has been running consistently well. This drop back to Group 3 company can see him to good effect and he looks capable of getting back to winning ways. The Tatling is an old favourite who won this two years ago on the way to even better things. It has been a long time since he won with cut in the ground, and his penalty may make it difficult to do so once again. Maltese Falcon has good form with cut in the ground and came back from a long lay-off to win a small race at Newmarket the other day. This is much tougher, but Paul Cole knows the time of day, and he clearly feels that the gelding is capable of hacking it in this company. Of the remainder, Fire Up The Band is game and handles cut, so cannot be discounted on a track where her connections prosper, but Moss Vale has what it takes to win today.
The Tatling (IRE) 9-2 (9-7) Held up mid-division, ridden over 2f out, stayed on well final furlong, not reach leaders, 3rd of 8, 1l behind Resplendent Glory (8-12) at Sandown 5f Grp 3 (1) gf.
Bahamian Pirate (USA) 40-1 (9-5) Raced far side, held up, headway over 1f out, soon ridden, kept on same pace, 7th of 19, 6l behind Pastoral Pursuits (9-5) at Newmarket 6f Grp 1 (1) gs.
Fire Up The Band 2-1fav (9-0) Led, ridden over 1f out, headed towards finish, 3rd of 8, 3/4l behind Tournedos (8-9) at Chester 5f lst stk (1) gf.
Maltese Falcon 9-1 (8-8) Pulled hard, chased leaders, switched right over 1f out, driven to lead inside final furlong, ran on, won at Newmarket 5f stk (3) gf beating Pike Bishop (8-5) by 1l, 4 ran.
Moss Vale (IRE) 16-1 (9-5) Raced far side, held up, headway over 2f out, hampered over 1f out, kept on same pace, 11th of 19, 7l behind Pastoral Pursuits (9-5) at Newmarket 6f Grp 1 (1) gs.
Night Prospector 14-1 (9-3) Tracked leaders, ridden 2f out, weakened 1f out, 9th of 10, 5l behind Smokin Beau (9-3) at Lingfield 5f hcp (2) pol.
Bali Royal 10-1 (9-5) Always close up on stands rail, 2nd halfway, led over 1f out, kept on well under pressure when pressed inside final furlong, won at Curragh 5f hcp gf beating Majestic Times (9-1) by 1/2l, 16 ran.
Indian Maiden (IRE) 7-2 (9-0) Towards rear, pushed along and headway over 1f out, stayed on final furlong, 3rd of 11, 4l behind Lucky Spin (9-4) at York 6f fll stk Grp 3 (1) gs.
Mecca's Mate 4-1 (8-13) Held up, ridden 2f out, good headway to lead inside final furlong, pushed out, won at Ayr 5f lst fll stk (1) gf beating Fruit of Glory (8-13) by 1 1/2l, 11 ran.
Blue Dakota (IRE) 9-4fav (9-0) Restrained start, pulled hard, tracked leaders, effort over 1f out, not quicken, eased inside final furlong, 6th of 8, 8l behind Montgomery's Arch (8-11) at Goodwood 6f 2yo Grp 2 (A) gf.
Tournedos (IRE) 33-1 (8-9) In rear, ridden when switched left and headway 1f out, ran on to lead towards finish, won at Chester 5f lst stk (1) gf beating Majestic Missile (9-0) by 3/4l, 8 ran.
Castelletto 25-1 (8-8) Tracked leader, pushed along halfway, ridden over 1f out, weakened final furlong, 9th of 11, 13l behind Lucky Spin (9-4) at York 6f fll stk Grp 3 (1) gs.
Obe Gold 10-1 (9-12) Towards rear, no extra from under 2f out, 15th of 16, more than 4 1/2l behind Bali Royal (9-5) at Curragh 5f hcp gf.
