chased leaders, 3rd halfway, challenged 2 out, led entering straight, ridden and strongly pressed approaching last, kept on well under pressure run-in
led, headed before 2 out, soon no extra and weakened, tailed off
towards rear, mistake 2nd, never a factor, tailed off
mid-division, 8th halfway, ridden and no extra before 2 out, weakened and tailed off
chased leaders early, 7th halfway, headway into 3rd approaching 2 out, ridden in 5th entering straight, stayed on to challenge approaching last, no extra run-in, kept on same pace
mid-division, bad mistake 4th, soon rear, pulled up before 5 out
chased leaders, 6th halfway, ridden in 4th entering straight, 2nd briefly before last, no extra in 4th last, kept on same pace
chased leaders, 4th halfway, ridden in 3rd entering straight, no extra approaching last, kept on same pace
mid-division, 10th halfway, ridden into 6th 2 out, no extra entering straight, kept on one pace
held up in rear early, 9th halfway, ridden in 7th 2 out, no impression entering straight, kept on one pace
mid-division early, soon chased leaders, 5th halfway, ridden and no extra approaching 2 out, weakened
keen hold and chased leaders, 2nd halfway, led before 2 out, ridden and headed entering straight, no extra before last
Aupcharlie has been looking one-paced over the minimum trip so it's no surprise to see him stepping up here though his defeat at long odds-on by The Way We Were here last time was a disappointing effort. Maller Tree has been going really well in bumpers and had the disappointing Wandering Aengus a long way behind here last month when runner-up to the promising Mumbo Jumbo. He looks certain to make a decent hurdler but the experience of COMPETITIVE EDGE may just be too much for him here. Conor O'Dwyer's charge is making really good progress and made the unbeaten Make Your Mark pull out the stops over the C&D last time. That should be good enough for this though the likes of Rising Time and dual bumper winner Bridgets Pet make this an interesting contest.
Aupcharlie (IRE) 3-10fav (11-12) Tracked leaders, 3rd halfway, ridden into 2nd early straight, no impression winner closing stages, kept on same pace, 2nd of 8, 1l behind The Way We Were (11-12) at Leopardstown 2m mdn hdl in Dec.
Beeverstown (IRE) 3-1 (12-0) Ld/disp, ld from 1/2way, 2l adv aftr 4out & not fluent 2out, kow flat, won at Dromahane 3m ire ptp sft in Oct beating Netherby (12-0) by 1l, 8 ran.
The Amarillo Kid (IRE) 12-1 (12-0) Tracked leaders, distant 4th halfway, ridden in distant 4th 5f out, soon weakened, completely tailed off, last of 7, well behind Don Cossack (11-11) at Navan 2m nat hunt flat Grade 2 (1) hvy in Dec.
Wandering Aengus 10-3 (11-11) Tracked leader in 2nd, led narrowly from halfway, headed entering straight and soon no extra, moderate 3rd over 1f out, 3rd of 8, 22l behind Mumbo Jumbo (11-6) at Leopardstown 2m N H flat sft in Dec.
Whispering Hills (IRE) 6-1 (11-12) Mid-division, 10th halfway, 8th 3 out, no threat to leaders from next, kept on one pace, 6th of 16, 31l behind Mickelson (11-12) at Fairyhouse 2m mdn hdl.
Bridgets Pet (IRE) 13-2 (11-11) Held up in rear, huge amount off clear leader and ridden in 4th entering straight, went remote 3rd 2f out, kept on one paced, 3rd of 7, 15l behind Don Cossack (11-11) at Navan 2m nat hunt flat Grade 2 (1) hvy in Dec.
Competitive Edge (IRE) 7-2 (11-7) Tracked leaders, 2nd from before halfway, ridden and no chance with easy winner from early straight, kept on same pace, 2nd of 17, 10l behind Make Your Mark (11-7) at Leopardstown 2m 4f 4yo mdn hdl gd in Dec.
Maller Tree 10-1 (11-6) Settled in mid-division, 5th halfway, headway to go 2nd entering straight, soon ridden and no impression on winner, kept on same pace final furlong, 2nd of 8, 1 3/4l behind Mumbo Jumbo (11-6) at Leopardstown 2m N H flat sft in Dec.
Thouva (FR) 10-1 (11-10) Chased clear leader, 7th halfway, moderate 4th entering straight, kept on one pace without troubling first 2, 3rd of 18, 21l behind Joxer (11-10) at Punchestown 2m mdn hdl.
Rising Time (IRE) 3-1 (11-7) Rear of mid-division, never a factor, tailed off when pulled up after 4 out - lame post race, in a race won by Eyesontheprize (11-7) at Thurles 2m mares mdn hdl in Nov, 16 ran.
Top Flower (IRE) 33-1 (10-13) Mid-division, 11th approaching 5 out, no extra from before next, last of 18, well behind Glibin (11-2) at Thurles 2m mares mdn hdl hvy.
Dearest Girl (IRE) 20-1 (9-3) Chased leaders early, mid-division halfway, ridden and no impression over 3f out, 9th of 14, 12l behind Strandfield Lady (9-3) at Dundalk 1m 4f 3yo stks pol in Nov (flat).
