tracked leader, led over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, clear inside final furlong, stayed on (hand-timed)
tracked leaders, ridden 3f out, no impression over 1f out, 4th and weakening over 1f out, eased
led, headed over 2f out, no impression on winner final furlong, stayed on same pace
dwelt, in rear, niggled along briefly 7f out, pushed along over 4f out, no impression and well held final 3f, went modest 3rd over 1f out, no chance with winner
Its A Sheila Thing and Bizet have something to find on official ratings which suggests this ought to be a straight fight between the top two in the weights. However, there are question marks about both, although Port Paradise is significantly superior on official ratings. His third to Petite Jack here last October on the artificial surface is by far the best form on show in the past 12 months but since then he's pulled up twice when tried over hurdles and was a poor last of eight in a Wolverhampton seller when last seen in March. Put simply, it's hard to know what to make of him at present so HANNINGTON is just the preference. He was way below par last time but previous performances were consistent in low grade handicaps and he might just prove the more reliable.
Hannington 5-1 (9-3) Held up, weakened over 2f out, 9th of 10, 26l behind Tonto's Spirit (8-5) at Thirsk 1m 4f hcp (6) gs in Jun.
Port Paradise 7-2 (9-4) Prominent, lost place over 2f out, eased final furlong, last of 8, 17 1/2l behind Mr Red Clubs (9-4) at Wolverhampton 1m 1f stks (6) pol in Mar.
Its A Sheila Thing 9-1 (8-7) Chased leader, challenged over 3f out, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, last of 9, 7 1/4l behind St Dunstan (9-0) at Nottingham 1m 2f hcp (6) gf in Jun.
Bizet (IRE) 25-1 (8-2) Dwelt, soon outpaced, always behind, 6th of 8, 10 1/4l behind Redgrave (9-4) at Newmarket 1m hcp (5) gs in Jun.
