**The 2005 renewal was run at Lingfield and the running was subsequently ignored for these criteria
Summary
Since being relaid there is a fairly widely held view that the straight course is the epitome of a horses for courses track and one that suits horses that are effective on polytrack. So the fact that five of the last six winners were making their first start at Ascot may neither be here nor there; two of those five were unraced on polytrack but two of the other three had won on a synthetic surface and the other placed.
Far more tangible statistics are those relating to age and ratings with six winners emerging from the 5lb range between 92 and 96 which encompasses a third of the field and four and five year olds providing nine of the last 10 winners.
Several of the four and five year olds meet a number of the criteria but the nod goes to King Of Jazz who is only 1lb outside the optimum weights/ratings criteria. He could only finish in midfield over C&D last September when ridden prominently but appeared to benefit from more patient tactics at Doncaster when making the frame in a class 2 handicap and he may be able to become the third recent winner with only a maiden success to their name.
