BLAINE: Winner of a nice Newbury handicap on his first start of last season but only moderate form after that, and needs to appreciate the return from an absence in the same way he did then in order to figure here.
MOBSTA: Took a step in the right direction on seasonal debut last time at Doncaster, and showed how capable he can be on his day when third in a Listed race at York in September. Claims if building on that encouraging return.
CLEAR SPRING: C&D winner who ran well more often than not last campaign, and though potentially a little bit higher in the weights than ideal he may well handle conditions better than most here.
TITAN GODDESS: Form has very much come in bursts so far in her career, so though this is easier than the conditions race she was down the field in at Lingfield last month, she still has several questions to answer.
TAWNY PORT: Has been restricted to just one start since late 2016 (when still a two-year-old) and finished down the field at York there. Tough to build a case for with that being the most recent piece of form on offer.
CINCUENTA PASOS: Most of his best form is over further than this, and with that in mind and with him having drawn a blank last year, others definitely hold more convincing claims.
GIANT SPARK: Not the worst overall strike-rate when only considering his efforts on turf, but failed to land a blow on his first start for 238 days at Doncaster last time (similar conditions), and needs to have come on massively for that run.
NIGHTINGALE VALLEY: Disappointing on her last start over last season (in August) and hasn't been seen since. Has the lay-off to overcome and would likely prefer a sounder surface and possibly a longer trip.
BAHAMIAN DOLLAR: On a workable mark when considering his best form, but out of sorts lately and would almost certainly prefer a sounder surface than what is likely here.
POET'S PRINCESS: Hasn't won since her juvenile days but better on her last two starts of last season (both over this trip on testing ground), and down another 2lb could take another step forward here.
GLORY OF PARIS: Only a neck away on first turf run of the year at Bath last time out when the ground was probably softer than ideal. Up just 2lb over this more suitable trip and should go very well.
VERDICT: The return to the turf clearly suited GLORY OF PARIS at Bath last time out and once again tried on very testing ground, over a more suitable trip and off a similar mark he could prove tough to beat in a race where a few have questions to answer. One such contender is Mobsta, who is better than this level of race on his day but is far from the most consistent, while Poet's Princess seems to be moving in the right direction at the moment.
- Glory Of Paris
- Mobsta
- Poet's Princess