| Course: YORK | Race date:18/05/06 | Race time:2:45 | Runners:6 |
| Race distance:1m2½f | Going:Soft | Winners time:2m 17.55s |
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Stall | Weight | Age | RPR | OR | Odds | B High | B Ave | B Low | In run | Finished | Dist Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Septimus | K Fallon | A P O´Brien | 4 | 9-0 | 3 | 119 | 0 | 13/8F | 3.35 | 2.91 | 2.64 | 1.01 | 1 | |
| Best Alibi | M J Kinane | Sir Michael Stoute | 5 | 9-0 | 3 | 106 | 103 | 6/1 | 8.6 | 7.19 | 4.2 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Snoqualmie Boy | John Egan | D R C Elsworth | 1 | 9-0 | 3 | 88 | 82 | 16/1 | 30 | 22.13 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| Leningrad | Jamie Spencer | M L W Bell | 2 | 9-0 | 3 | 86 | 0 | 9/2 | 6.8 | 5.86 | 5 | 5.9 | 4 | 1½ |
| The Last Drop | Michael Hills | B W Hills | 3 | 9-0 | 3 | 73 | 92 | 10/1 | 16 | 12.44 | 11.5 | 10 | 5 | 8 |
| Palace Episode | L Dettori | Saeed Bin Suroor | 6 | 9-0 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 100/30 | 6 | 4.57 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 6 | 29 |
SEPTIMUS, having seemingly benefited from his comeback outing in France, is hardly an eye-catching individual, but he looked hard and fit, and he proved it in the race. Never too far off the pace, which was fair to start with and more generous from six furlongs out, he did nothing quickly, but he galloped into the lead two from home and, driven clear, was never in any danger of defeat thereafter. He looks a relentless galloper, who would have no trouble staying the Derby distance. That said, he shows a bit of knee action, which suggests an ease in the ground - which he certainly had here - might suit him. Kieren Fallon, however, believes him to be a better horse onbetter ground.
Best Alibi, who was the pick of the paddock, being a quality individual, with size, scope and physical presence, was allowed to bowl into the lead after half-a-mile. Gradually wound up, he was reeled in by the winner at the two-furlong pole and looked pretty weary inside the last. This run should have improved him, and he could well leave this effort behind on another day on a sounder surface.
Snowqualmie Boy, who won off a mark of 82 at Salisbury last time, went in pursuit of the first two three furlongs out, but could never make any impression, encountering these sort of conditions for the first time.
The Last Drop, who was raised from a markof 92 to 104, following his narrow defeat in the Sandown Derby Trial, in which the runners finished a heap and which looked nothing more than an ordinary race, showed little here. He was another trying soft ground for the first time. The ground could hardly be blamed for Palace Episode, who was snapped up by Godolphin after his shock 20-1 success in heavy going in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster last October, when trained by Kevin Ryan.
Interestingly, Septimus had finished third in that race, and Best Alibi fourth.
On this occasion, however, Palace Episode finished in a different parish to those two rivals and was off the bridle on the turn into the straight, after leading early on. He eventually went out like a light. Given that Godolphin are not renowned for making cheap purchases when they go cherry-picking, one is left to wonder where they may recoup a fraction of their investment in Palace Episode, if this evidence is accurate.[T.O'R]
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