Can Rock Melody repeat last year's win or will she prove vulnerable to the three-year-olds?

Turn the clock back 12 months and Rock Melody landed this race off a BHA mark of 77, so we know she is capable of repeating that win off just 73. However, the reason for her drop in the weights is a series of below-par efforts since her last win at Hamilton in August.

She has been inconsistent, too, producing Racing Post Ratings of 54, 82, 72, 64 and 67, but was beaten less than five lengths back at Hamilton last time, and that was over 5f.

Rock Melody’s best efforts have all come over further than that, and the extra two furlongs around this track will suit her better. She has three wins, a second and a third from ten runs here.

However, the market is likely to centre around the four three-year-olds and three of them come into the race after victories. Eminent Jewel is the one who is best treated, according to RPRs, having achieved an RPR of 83 last time – 9lb higher than her BHA mark.

That win came on the all-weather at Newcastle, but Eminent Jewel has scored on turf and she may have won by further last time but for having to wait for a run, so still looks well treated.

Come On You Spurs and Rockymountainway are the other two three-year-olds with a win by their name, and the handicapper was more impressed with Rockymountainway, putting her up 11lb compared with 6lb for Come On You Spurs. That gives Rockymountainway more to find to make it back-to-back wins, but she has run four fewer times so is the less exposed of the pair.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

Going update

The ground eased a little on Sunday to good to soft from good, good to soft in places, but no further significant rain is expected at the track before or during racing.

Bill Farnsworth, racecourse manager and clerk of the course, said on Sunday: "We had 4mm of rain yesterday that just tipped us over to good to soft. It's dry today and should be tomorrow, when it looks like we could get a good bit of sunshine. There is some broken cloud that could bring 1mm of rain, but that's the very top end."

What they say

Jose Santos, assistant to Ismail Mohammed, trainer of Nibras Angel
She’s run in a lot of very competitive races since her second win as a two-year-old, including when placing in a couple of good races in Dubai. Things did not work out when she first came back and she took time to acclimatise, but we felt she could run better at Newmarket last time and she did. She doesn’t really like the hill there, so the flat track at Musselburgh should suit and we think she's really well.

Charlie Fellowes, trainer of Rockymountainway
She won impressively last time out and that race has worked out relatively well. She was quite an immature filly and is improving rapidly. Hopefully we can take another step forward, and any rain is a positive.

Charlie Fellowes: trains RockymountainwayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Nicola Barron, joint-trainer of Mereside Diva
She’s in good form and we thought she ran really well last time. Trip and track should suit her and this is likely to be her last outing on turf this season.

Jim Goldie, trainer of Rock Melody
The conditions should be similar to when she won last year. She’s a hold-up horse who likes to get into trouble and then get out of it, so we’ll settle her and hopefully she can come through and put her head in front on the line again.

Richard Spencer, trainer of Come On You Spurs
She’s up 6lb for her win last time so she has to overcome that, but she’s just gone from strength to strength this year. It’s a big pot to shoot at and she’s in good order. She’s taken her racing well this year so should be able to run another solid race and hopefully end the year on a high.

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