Good To Soft

2:00 Grampian Country Food Group Stakes (Handicap) (3) (3yo+,0-90)

[off 2:00] £9,185.80, £2,826.40, £1,413.20, £706.60 5f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Mecca´s Mate (4) D W Barker 4 9-4 F Lynch 5/1 86 83 99

2 1¾ Whistler (8) J M Bradley 8 9-7 p P Fitzsimons 12/1 89 79 96

3 hd Fictional (5) E S McMahon 4 9-4 G Gibbons 7/1 86 76 92

4 1¼ Henry Hall (IRE) (6) N Tinkler 9 8-7 Kim Tinkler 9/1 75 60 77

5 1 Handsome Cross (IRE) (3) D Nicholls 4 9-7 A Nicholls 6/1 89 71 87

6 ½ Salviati (USA) (2) J M Bradley 8 8-9 p R L Moore 6/1 77 57 73

7 hd Harrison´s Flyer (IRE) (9) R A Fahey 4 8-12 G Parkin 16/1 80 59 75

8 ½ Seven No Trumps (1) J M Bradley 8 8-8 3 J P Spencer 9/2F 76 53 70

9 1¼ Dame De Noche (11) J G Given 5 9-8 N Callan 10/1 90 63 79

10 ¾ Piccled (7) E J Alston 7 8-13 D Allan 16/1 81 51 67

10 ran TIME 59.37s (slow by 1.57s) TOTAL SP 114%

NON RUNNER: Melandre

1st OWNER: David T J Metcalfe BRED: Miss C Tagart TRAINER: D W Barker

2nd OWNER: Raymond Tooth

3rd OWNER: J C Fretwell

TOTE WIN £5.80 PL £1.90, £3.80, £3.10; Ex £91.40; CSF £62.09; TRICAST £419.01

ANALYSIS: Jockeys described the ground as "beautiful", "slow", "tiring" and "dead"; somewhere in between would probably be correct, with the runners in this handicap breaking the minute.

MECCA'S MATE, at her best when she gets her toe in slightly, was always travelling like a winner. Asserting her superiority in a matter of strides, she wasn't doing a lot in front, and had to be kept up to her job, but she was never going to be caught. She is a much-improved filly, and, on this evidence, hasn't finished winning yet.

Whistler, who came from a long way back, ran a sound race in second, but is a difficult horse to catch right.

Fictional ran another good race in defeat and should find a winning opportunity shortly, while Henry Hall continues to run well, but is proving hard to win with.