prominent till ridden and weakened well over 2f out, tailed off
held up in touch, took closer order 3f out, led over 1f out, soon clear
held up rear, ridden and headway 3f out, kept on final furlong never dangerous
in touch for 3f, ridden and weakened 3f out
behind, some headway on outside 3f out, soon weakened
held up in touch, ridden 3f out, never nearer
prominent, ridden and weakened 2f out
slowly into stride and always towards rear
mid-division, ridden and one pace from 2f out
3.10 The first division of the claimer should fall to Desert Opal, with Point Of Dispute and Certifiable the likely dangers David Chapman has his string in fine fettle at present and on official ratings Desert Opal does look head and shoulders above most of these. His best performance during the turf season was at Newbury in the the Spring Cup when he finished just six lengths behind the winner El Coto. He is making his all-weather debut, but if he handles the ground he will be very difficult to beat. Point Of Dispute looks the main threat to the selection having put in three very good performances over course and distance. However they were off rating of 76, so the five pounds he receives from Desert Opal may not be enough. Certifiable is the only other one worth considering as he ran well when finishing just two lengths behind Analyze at Lingfield last time. The rest have plenty to prove, and so we return to Desert Opal as the one to land the spoils.
