tracked leaders, ridden 3f out, soon weakened
with leader, slipped and lost place after 2f, headway over 3f out, soon ridden, kept on same pace
tracked leaders, joined leaders 3f out, soon ridden, stayed on well to lead inside final furlong, ridden out
led, ridden over 2f out, 2 lengths clear 1f out, weakening when headed inside final furlong
A good race is in prospect here, despite the poor turn out for the money. And King's Consul is tipped to finally rid himself of his maiden tag at the main expense of First Ballot, who is just preferred to stablemate Gulf on these terms. The David Loder-trained King's Consul does not have too many miles on the clock for a four-year-old and has run up to a good standard in defeat in his handful of outings this term. The step up to this sort of trip should not be a problem for him judging by the way he has finished in his races and he can get the better of First Ballot, who may just be better over a touch further. Gulf also has to be respected as a big threat to the selection and he will appreciate the ease in grade today. However, he has tended to find little off the bridle in his last few starts and is not one to trust implicitly in a tactical race like this. Therefore Darryll Holland, who is enjoying one of his best seasons to date, can play a waiting game with King's Consul before trying to draw the sting out of his rivals near the finish.
