held up towards rear, headway after 4 out, weakened from 2 out
held up towards rear, weakened after 4 out
held up mid-division and keen, headway approaching 3 out, weakened next
tracked leaders in 3rd, chased winner last, kept on and always held
made all, ridden approaching 2 out, kept on well from last ridden out
held up towards rear, outpaced after 4 out, kept on from after 3 out, no impression
held up in touch, ridden aftewr last, stayed on well to take 3rd towards finish
tracked leaders in 4th, weakened after 3 out, hit next
held up towards rear, never dangerous
held up towards rear, pushed along after 4 out, never dangerous
held up towards rear, headway after 3 out, soon ridden, no impression
tracked winner, ridden and hit 2 out, pecked last, no extra and lost 3rd towards finish
held up mid-division, headway after 4 out, one pace from 2 out
held up behind, ridden after 3 out, soon weakened
ARABIAN SPIRIT gets the vote to land this novices' hurdle. Rated 86 on the Flat, Richard Fahey's gelding has not won beyond a mile in that sphere, so stamina could be a bit of a concern. However, the good ground and flat track here will help his cause, while he is also related to a 2m 1f hurdles winner. Dhaular Dhar won a Flat race here over 9f from a mark of 85 in September, and he is feared, though he has to perform better than he did at Aintree last time and he probably will. Michelle's Express already has four hurdles under his belt in Ireland, where he has one win and more recently a runner-up effort to his name, so he has to be strongly considered. That'll Do Nicely has abililty but will probably be better over further, while Dica is worth a market check.
Michelle's Express (IRE) 16-1 (11-6) Tracked leaders in 3rd, headway to challenge approaching 2 out, led before last, soon strongly pressed and headed, kept on same pace but no chance with winner run-in, 2nd of 7, 1 3/4l behind Anshan Dreams (11-6) at Cork 2m nh nov hdl gf in Oct.
Angle of Attack (IRE) 7-1 (8-7) Tracked leader, ridden halfway, weakened over 1f out, 9th of 12, 12l behind Darcy's Pride (8-9) at Southwell 6f app hcp 0-55 (6) fbs in Oct (flat).
Arabian Spirit 8-1 (9-5) Held up mid-division, headway over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, 3rd of 11, 1 1/4l behind The Fifth Member (9-5) at Ayr 1m hcp 0-90 (3) hvy in Oct (flat).
Dhaular Dhar (IRE) 12-1 (11-0) Led narrowly to 4th, remained in touch, outpaced 3 out, soon lost place, weakened next, 14th of 16, well behind Ballybriggan (11-0) at Aintree 2m mdn hdl (3) gs in Oct.
Dica (FR) Kapgarde gelding out of Easy World.
Jaques Vert (FR) 28-1 (11-0) Raced keenly in touch, outpaced when mistake 3 out, soon weakened, 13th of 16, well behind Ballybriggan (11-0) at Aintree 2m mdn hdl (3) gs in Oct.
Jawaab (IRE) 20-1 (9-8) Prominent, under pressure over 4f out, weakened quickly 3f out, eased, last of 14, 49l behind Hendersyde (9-11) at Kempton 1m 4f hcp 0-85 (4) pol in Oct (flat).
Pamoja 100-1 (11-0) Behind, ridden after 4 out, never dangerous, 12th of 16, well behind Ballybriggan (11-0) at Aintree 2m mdn hdl (3) gs in Oct.
Parc Des Princes (USA) 15-8fav (9-7) Held up rear of mid-division, headway over 3f out, ridden over 2f out, bumped 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 5th of 13, 4 1/2l behind Corrib (8-2) at Chepstow 1m 2f hcp 0-65 (6) gf in Jun (flat).
Real Desire 200-1 (10-12) Towards rear, ridden and lost touch from 4th, tailed off, 13th of 16, well behind Storm Brig (10-12) at Newcastle 2m nh nov hdl (4) gs.
Shy Glance (USA) 25-1 (9-1) Held up mid-division, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 7th of 12, 6l behind Osgood (9-9) at Ayr 1m 1f hcp 0-70 (5) sft in Oct (flat).
Tale Of Tanganyika (FR) 20-1 (11-7) Mid-division, outpaced 5f out, chased leaders under pressure on outside over 3f out, weakened 2f out, 6th of 17, 33l behind Herdsman (11-0) at Aintree 2m 1f NH flat (4) gs in Oct.
That'll Do Nicely (IRE) 12-1 (10-12) Held up mid-division, weakened 2 out, last of 4, 20l behind Southern Regent (10-12) at Market Rasen 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) gd in Jun '08.
Velvet Vic (IRE) 25-1 (11-2) Held up towards rear, well behind over 4f out, 14th of 15, well behind Master Murphy (10-9) at Newcastle 2m mdn NH flat (6) gs.
