in touch, mistake 3rd, mistake 11th, headway next, ridden and weakened approaching 3 out
chased leaders, led approaching 4 out, ridden over 3 out, kept on well
was held up, struggling from 12th
held up, blundered badly 10th, ridden approaching 4 out, soon weakened, pulled up before next
held up, headway approaching 12th, ridden to chase winner approaching 3 out, kept on and no impression from next
prominent, quickly weakened and pulled up before 5th
held up in rear, struggling from 12th
led, headed 6th, weakened 10th, pulled up after 12th
in touch, weakened and pulled up before 9th
chased leaders, led 6th, headed approaching 4 out, one pace from next
held up, driven along approaching 8, weakened from 12th, tailed off and pulled up before 3
mid division, tailed off from 9th, pulled up before 13th
in touch, weakened from 12, pulled up before next
If he is straight enough first time back after a year off then we take Pontius to and this decent prize, with Gangsters R Us, Catch The Perk and Time To Reflect perhaps the main dangers. Pontius enjoyed a good spring last year on ground just like this, landing a long distance handicap hurdle here and then posting a very comfortable handicap chase win at Kelso next time, before unseating when holding every chance of completing the hat-trick at Stratford. Off the course since then, we must take his fitness on trust, though we are presuming that Nigel Twiston-Davies would not send him to Britain's most northerly racecourse if he could not do himself justice. Gangsters R Us is one to consider, based on his hat-trick in the spring, when he went up 25lb in total. A lover of decent ground and three miles, he will be helped by a 4lb drop since his latest run in April, can go well fresh, and should be thereabouts. Catch The Perk will also be popular, but has to prove that he truly gets three miles. A winner over 2m 5f and 2m 6f on his last two starts, he may not have stopped progressing just yet, and so he is greatly respected. Of the remainder, Time To Reflect looks another progressive sort, but he will need to be to take this race in only his third chase, and there will be other days for him, and our idea of the winner here is Pontius.
