tracked leaders, headway to lead over 1f out, headed close home, no extra
tracked leaders, effort over 1f out, one pace final furlong
towards rear, headway under pressure over 2f out, no extra final furlong
led, ridden over 2f out, headed over 1f out, kept on same pace
tracked leaders, ridden and weakened over 2f out
mid-division, ridden and headway 2f out, one pace final furlong
mid-division, ridden halfway, no impression
towards rear, never dangerous
towards rear, pushed along halfway, ridden and kept on one pace final 2f
soon towards rear
tracked leaders, ridden over 2f out, soon weakened
towards rear, never dangerous
mid-division, headway and effort 2f out, stayed on well inside final furlong, to lead close home
reared start, soon mid-division, ridden halfway, no impression
A low draw may help Best Lead confirm recent form with American Cousin, who looks the preferred runner over Pays D'Amour from the David Nicholls yard. Cases can be made for a number of the rest, with the likes of Queen Of Night and Type One capable of getting competitive in a race of this nature. While a bold bid from the old-boy Juwwi cannot be completely ruled out as he hails from a yard that have hit form at the right time and, like Beyond Calculation, a market move late on will be interesting. However, it may be safer to stick with the recent profile presented by Best Lead, who deserves a change of fortune after hitting the post on numerous occasions this season. His rider's 7lb claim, combined with his favourable stalls position on ground that presents no problems, makes the case for Best Lead all the more appealing and he has too much in his favour to ignore this evening.
