led, ridden 2f out, headed and no extra, well inside final furlong
mid-division, headway over 3f out, ridden over 2f out, led well inside final furlong, driven out
chased leaders, ridden 4f out, soon weakened
behind, ridden and headway halfway, kept on one pace final 2f, never reached leaders
slowly into stride, mid-division, pushed along over 5f out, ridden and headway 2f out, kept on final furlong, never dangerous
mid-division, ridden 4f out, soon beaten
close up, chased leader halfway, ridden over 3f out, weakened 2f out
in touch, ridden halfway, weakened over 3f out
A competitive, if somewhat low grade start to the evening and Mark Brisbourne looks to have found the ideal opening for Ben Hur, who can prove too strong for the likes of Amamus, and handicap debutante Keshena Falls. The selection has been knocking on the door of late, in better contests than this, and if handling the surface can lose his maiden tag. From a stable that has fired in six winners in the past fortnight, the yard could not be in better form. Keshena Falls showed a little ability behind Harrison Point and Tip The Dip at Windsor last month, but with the winner that day failing miserably, when well backed at Nottingham and the runner-up making hard work of landing the odds at the same venue, the form doesn't amount to much. However, this won't take much winning and she looks to have been given every chance off her mark of 60, which is nothing more than a platers mark. Amamus looks to have something to prove after flopping last time, but she can't be left out of calculations at this level, while Smart Predator's half-brother Smart Minister, clearly stays much better than his relative, albeit slolwly. So, in what is a weak contest Ben Hur is taken to continue the sparkling form of the Brisbourne camp.
