In rather a muddling affair it was the Lincoln winner SMOKEY OAKEY who handled conditions best and landed a shock win.
A winner off 95 in softish ground at Doncaster, he had been a bit keen and run just respectably when upped to 1m1f in a slowly run race at Newmarket this time. He settled much better this time, held up in rear, and did not begin to make ground until around two furlongs out. He still had a bit to do at the furlong marker, but stayed on strongly to head Maraahel well inside the final furlong. He will have just a 5lb penalty in the Hunt Cup, and if it happened to come up soft there he would merit plenty of respect. However, he is only 12-1 with the Tote and WIlliam Hill, and although VC offer 16-1, it is still not enough for a horse who has yet to be committed and is so ground dependent.
Maraahel, who remarkably had run only once before at Sandown, made his effort closest to the stands' rail and took it up around a furlong out, looking the winner. However, having traded as short as 1-50 in running on Betfair he was just run out of it. He was conceding Smokey Oakey a 5lb penalty and was far from disgraced.
Pipedreamer has looked a Group winner in waiting since his impressive Cambridgeshire win off 102, but things have not panned out for him so far this year. The steady pace was against him in the Earl of Sefton, and the ground - much the softest he has encountered - was the problem here, for Ryan Moore reported he was never comfortable on it. Having been given plenty of time to find his feet, he turned forhome last, but he made up a lot of ground up the middle of the track to look a possible winner until his effort flattened out late on.
He'd had a slight infection after Newmarket, which cannot have helped, and it was not at all a bad run. Connectionsreported he is unlikely to take up his Group 1 entries until he has won a Group 2 or Group 3, but he is well worth another chance granted a likely strong pace and some goodish ground.
Lightly raced Charlie Farnsbarns, who had not needed to be anywhere near his best to make a winning reappearance, was proven in the ground and got to the front briefly approaching the final furlong. He faded, but still ran a fair race. So did Petara Bay, another who is not seen very often. He stayed on from an unpromising position to take sixth.
Former German Group winner Fight Club, who had been off the track 642 days and cost his new connections just 3,000gns, appeared to excel himself, making the running until headed by Charlie Farnsbarns approaching the final furlong. Like the winner, he has a Hunt Cup entry, but that will be a very different type of race and he would be a risky proposition until one was confident he had come out of this all right.
Buccellati, stepping out of handicap company for the first time and returning from nearly eight months off the track, had a lot on his plate and is entitled to come on for this.
There was a big gap back to the former smart Brazilian five-year-old Happy Boy, an unknown quantity under the prevailing conditions, who was beaten with two furlongs to go on his debut for Godolphin and is one to watch for now.
Dansant has shown much his best form on Polytrack and was also in trouble with more than two furlongs to go.
The St Leger winner Lucarno raced wide and was bang up there, but he then weakened quickly early in the straight. This ground may well have been against him and he should be a different proposition this time.
Hattan, in cheekpieces, was also beaten starting up the straight, while Classic Punch dropped right out after racing handily, and Passage Of Time, who ought to have enjoyed the ground, was bitterly disappointing and may not have trained on.
Tote
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