chased leaders, left 2nd 2 out, kept on, no chance with winner
prominent, ridden 6th, weakened approaching 3 out
mid-division, kept on from 2 out, no impression
led, mistakes, headed 7th, soon weakened
held up, headway 7th, ridden to lead 2 out, soon clear
chased leaders, led 7th, headed and stumbled 2 out and unseated rider
tracked leaders, weakened from 7th
held up behind, ridden approaching 2 out, went 3rd last, no impression
chased leaders, ridden approaching 2 out, weakened approaching next
always behind
A modest opener can go to Beyond Borders, who arrives here in good form and is preferred over Gregorian, Borehill Joker and the enigmatic Jaseur, who make up the shortlist of alternatives. Jaseur, a one-time favourite for the Ebor when he raced on the Flat, has plenty of ability on his day and is dangerous to completely ignore at this level. However, his going days are very hard to predict and others make more appeal on balance. Gregorian was well placed to win a couple of modest events last season and seized the opportunities with a relish. He is now back on a fair mark and should be thereabouts despite having to concede weight all round. Similar comments can be said of Borehill Joker, who ran one of his better races last time. Even so, he is not one to trust implicitly and, like a few of the rest, a repeat bid cannot be relied upon, even in this company. Therefore, we side with Beyond Borders, whose recent form looks solid in the context of this race. This sort of trip is ideal for the son of Pleasant Colony and, with ground conditions to his liking, Beyond Borders has a sound chance of finally riding himself of the maiden tag over hurdles if he negotiates a clear passage this afternoon.
