Lord North won this race 12-months ago, but he burst a blood vessel in the process and looked to run below par when 2nd in the Winter Derby last time out. That leaves the race open to SCHNELL MEISTER. Japanese racing is on the rise as they showed at the Breeders Cup and this son of Kingman has plenty of solid form in the book in his native Japan to suggest he could win this. He was last seen finishing 2nd to Gran Alegria in the Mile Championship at Hanshin and if he can repeat that effort, he should prove very hard to beat.
