Metal Merchant arrives here on a progressive profile that gives us confidence he can outrun his narrow rating deficit against the top-rated Philanthropist, who sits just a pound clear. Racingbreaks Ryder and Wild Nature, both rated level with our selection, represent genuine threats in what is a competitive upper tier of this field, but Metal Merchant's upward trajectory suggests there is more to come from him. The remaining runners appear to have more to do on these figures. **Metal Merchant** is the selection.