tracked leader, led 2 out, stayed on strongly from last, ridden out
held up in last trio, headway 9th, challenged 2 out, soon ridden, kept on same pace from last
held up last, weakened 3 out, tailed off
held up in last pair, headway after 3 out, effort next, kept on same pace
not always fluent, tracked leaders, ridden after 9th, outpaced after 3 out, stayed on again from last
led, ridden and headed 2 out, soon no extra
held up in touch, effort when went left 2 out and last, faded run-in
Like a lot of Peter Bowen's runners, Tot Of The Knar has been running consistently well this term and he has to be respected over a trip that should bring about improvement but it is hard to get away from HORA, who gets the verdict ahead of Amber Brook. The last mentioned is trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and he was good value for his defeat of the selection in handicap at Wincanton earlier this month but a 16lb pull in the weights for just over 10 lengths should be enough to see Nicky Henderson's gelding reverse that form. Emma Lavelle's Blaeberry is a capable performer and she looks to be going the right way again so has to be considered on ground that suits. Paul Webber's One Gulp faces no easy task giving weight away all round and preference is for Hora, who is taken to resume winning ways.
One Gulp 6-1fav (10-7) Mid-division, headway approaching 2 out, ridden last, led close home, driven out, won at Cheltenham 2m 5f mrs hcp hdl (1) gd in Apr beating Magical Legend (10-1) by 3/4l, 14 ran.
Amber Brook (IRE) 4-1 (10-10) Held up in rear, good headway after 3 out, challenged on bit 2 out, led last, quicken clear flat, impressive, won at Wincanton 2m 6f mrs hcp hdl (2) sft beating Lamanver Homerun (10-8) by 6l, 10 ran.
Blaeberry 2-1 (10-12) Prominent, ridden approaching 2 out, every chance last, not quicken flat, 2nd of 8, 4l behind My Petra (10-12) at Wetherby 2m lst hdl (1) gf.
Hora 11-4 (11-9) Mid-division, headway approaching 3 out, ridden and joined leaders approaching 2 out, not quicken, 3rd of 10, 11l behind Amber Brook (10-10) at Wincanton 2m 6f mrs hcp hdl (2) sft.
Strawberry (IRE) 10-1 (11-5) Tracked leaders, chased winner approaching 4 out, weakening when hit 3 out, 5th of 8, 26l behind Yes Sir (11-10) at Wetherby 2m 4f lst hcp chs (1) gf in Oct.
Tot Of The Knar 11-2 (11-0) Held up in rear, closed approaching 3 out, pushed along before 2 out, weakened approaching last, 4th of 8, 18l behind Diamond Harry (11-4) at Cheltenham 2m 5f nov hdl Grd 2 (1) sft.
