chased leaders, not fluent and lost place 5th, headway 10th, ridden approaching 4 out, weakened flat
led, sometimes jumped left, headed after 3 out, weakened flat
held up in rear, not fluent 8th, never nearer
always prominent, hit 12th, blundered next, led after 3 out, hit last, ran on well, eased close home
prominent, hit 4th and reminder, not fluent 8th or next, lost place after 11th, hit 2 out, stayed on flat, went 3rd towards finish
mid-division, mistake 1st, headway 5th, went 2nd 13th, stayed on same pace last
soon held up, ridden briefly after 8th, headway approaching 4 out, stayed on same pace from 2 out
soon lost touch, tailed off when pulled up before 12th
Despite a decent enough win last time for Sou'wester we like GLEAN AN SAGART for this handicap chase while American World is also in with a chance. After showing plenty of promise over fences last summer the pick should find the conditions just to his liking on his return to the track. He's 6lbs heavier in the handicap than when last scoring but he's unexposed over fences and open to improvement. Sou'wester won with enough in hand last time to suggest he could follow up under a penalty. That was over a shorter trip so while he has winning from over this far he'll need the race to be run at a decent pace. American World is a dual distance winner and was in form when grabbing some minor prize money twice last month. The sharp trip was not his thing last time and he should bounce back. Markila is an interesting runner after her best effort over fences last time but she has a inconsistent profile so we return to Glean An Sagart for the win.
Sou'wester 3-1 (11-10) Tracked leaders, joined leader 9th, led next, clear 2 out, ran on strongly, won at Wincanton 2m hcp chs 0-120 (3) gf beating Kervriou (11-7) by 16l, 6 ran.
Gleann An Sagart 7-2 (10-7) Led until hit 11th, dropped to 3rd 4 out, regained 2nd before 2 out, lost that place when weakened approaching last, 4th of 7, 33l behind Donaldson (10-12) at Stratford 2m 5f nov chs (3) gd in Jul.
Markila (FR) 20-1 (10-12) Held up in rear, headway after 3 out, went 3rd last, no impression, 3rd of 7, 9l behind Chance Du Roy (11-6) at Ludlow 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) sft.
Warpath (IRE) 5-1 (11-10) Always prominent, blundered 5th, ridden approaching 4 out, stayed on same pace, 4th of 9, 16l behind Nudge And Nurdle (11-1) at Fontwell 2m 2f hcp chs 0-120 (3) gf in Oct.
Tyup Pompey (IRE) 18-1 (9-12) Chased leaders, led approaching 10th, headed approaching 4 out, weakened approaching next, 5th of 7, 26l behind Chance Du Roy (11-6) at Ludlow 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) sft.
Magnetic Pole 9-2 (10-10) Tracked leaders, went 2nd 4th until 6th, no impression on winner when disputing 2nd 4 out until 2 out, no extra, 4th of 5, 13l behind The Snail (11-6) at Ludlow 2m 4f hcp chs 0-120 (3) gd in Mar.
Neutrino 7-1 (11-5) Ridden after 7th, always behind, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out, in a race won by Nagam (10-4) at Fontwell 2m 6f hcp chs 0-115 (4) gd in Nov '08, 8 ran.
Scalini's (IRE) 14-1 (11-3) Towards rear, not fluent and reminders 5th, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out, in a race won by Brimham Boy (11-12) at Hereford 2m 3f hcp chs 0-95 (5) gs in Mar, 8 ran.
American World (FR) 3-1 (11-12) Always in rear, tailed off when pulled up before 5 out, in a race won by Prince Des Marais (11-4) at Chepstow 2m hcp chs 0-115 (4) gd, 6 ran.
