Pace & Draw Angles: Likely even-to-solid pace. Style King and Sweet Sonata can go forward; Francis Drake can sit handy. Ironist and Dark Sorceress usually stalk/hold up; Rye mid-div/late. At 6f Lingfield, low draws are a plus: stalls 1-3 advantaged, 6 is a negative if pace collapses to the rail.

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Strongest Contenders

• Francis Drake (Draw 3) — Progressive/Proven AW
  AW winner LTO (Kempton 6f) on yard debut; earlier nose 2nd at Lingfield 7f reads well. Solid RPRs (76 twice), now up 5lb but still unexposed at 6f and well-drawn to track the speed.
• Style King (Draw 2) — Promising if settling
  Big figure (RPR 87) at Wolves in the spring; latest runs okay on sand tracks (RPR 80, then 73/75) despite keenness. Back to 6f, low draw, SDS booked; if he drops the bit, he’s a major player.
• Sweet Sonata (Draw 4) — Proven
  In form since blinkers; Goodwood win two back (79), Wind LTO a touch better than bare result (troubled late). Polytrack is fine (Kemp 78 last year). Handy style and no excuses from stall 4.

Main Dangers

• Ironist (Draw 1) — Promising
  Two solid handicaps (72/76) suggest she’s ready to win one. Inside draw + Mitchell help; slight concern she can get shuffled if they quicken early.
• Dark Sorceress (Draw 5) — Strong finisher / Hold-up risk
  Chelmsford winner (78), ran well off 54 latest (74) after a break; light weight and will be passing horses late. Needs tempo and a gap.

Interesting Outsider

• Rye (Draw 6) — Capable but wrong set-up
  Peak turf RPR 79 and Lingfield AW 72 as a juvenile, but stall 6 and modest recent figure (35) temper enthusiasm. Place squeak if breaking sharply and slotting in.

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Runner Scores & Suitability

• Francis Drake — 8/10: Ideal draw/track; proven AW; should get a perfect sit behind the pace.
• Style King — 7.5/10: Big peak, loves AW; key is settling. Low draw + SDS = upgrade.
• Sweet Sonata — 7/10: Consistent since headgear; translates to Poly; pace-pressing style suits here.
• Ironist — 7/10: Draw 1 gold; figures say she’s up to this; needs clear run turning in.
• Dark Sorceress — 6.5/10: Finisher with a nice mark; luck-in-running risk but weighted to strike late.
• Rye — 5.5/10: Ability there, but wide draw and mixed form; needs everything to fall right.

Keep an eye on the market for support or big drifts for runners returning from layoffs of 90+ days.
Watch out for in-form sprinters returning quickly; they can be hot.
Market watch advised for runners making their 2nd start.

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Private Tissue (my prices)

• Francis Drake 11/4
• Style King 3/1
• Sweet Sonata 7/2
• Ironist 5/1
• Dark Sorceress 6/1
• Rye 10/1

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Summary & Smart Play (Pro Punter View)

Even-to-strong pace with Style King/Sweet Sonata going forward and Francis Drake stalking from a sweet gate. Low-draw bias tilts the table towards stalls 1–3; closers will need luck.

Smart Play generated by Chatgpt

• Top Win Bet: Francis Drake — profile peaking at 6f on AW, ideal draw, and a course marker (Lingfield 7f nose second) says this is his race shape.
• Saver: Style King — biggest top-end figure in field; if SDS gets him to relax from stall 2, he can bully this grade.

Shortlist order: Francis Drake > Style King > Sweet Sonata, with Ironist the danger if she threads the rail run.