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Defence Minister won four starts back and has run over today's trip, arriving here 31 days on from his last outing; rated 100 and ranked top of the field, he is the one to beat despite a patchy recent profile.

Desert Shadow has winning form — back-to-back victories in his last two starts — but our figures rank him eighth of ten, and the burden of 139 lb makes it hard to fancy despite that decent recent momentum and experience over today's trip.

Silver Ghost arrives on the back of a placed effort three starts back and a podium finish four starts back, and with experience over today's trip and a rating of 96 she shapes as a genuine danger carrying 136 lb from stall 2; the risk is that she has been winless in her last five starts.

Shameful showed real quality when winning and posting back-to-back runner-up finishes in his last four starts, and he has run over today's trip before; the concern is a 436-day absence, which leaves fitness the obvious question mark.

Winless in his last five starts, God Of War has at least run over today's trip and returns on a handy 15-day turnaround carrying 134 lb from stall six, though a seventh last time out makes it hard to fancy him strongly against this field.