Silvestre De Sousa was seen to good effect on board Songcraft when the former France-trained four-year-old made a winning debut here a month ago. Mikhail Glinka ran well in third while the winner's stablemate Alkimos, who started a short-priced favourite, could only struggle home in sixth and looked in need of the run. All three should get involved here but Mikhail Glinka finished a long way behind JOSHUA TREE when the latter was runner-up in the Canadian International at Woodbine in October, a race he'd won the previous year. He's a genuine Group 1 performer and should take this if anywhere near wound up. Irish Flame wasn't quite at his best here a year ago but returns after a success at Kempton in November but it's Laajooj who can supply the main threat as he looked to be racing over a trip much too short when runner-up to Mahbooba in a race won in record time at the beginning of last month and will have come on for the run.
