held up towards rear, ridden 3 out, kept on same pace
mid-division, weakened from 3 out
led, headed 6th, led again 8th, ridden 3 out, headed after 2 out, soon weakened
behind, weakened from 7th
chased leaders, ridden 3 out, led after 2 out, headed approaching last, kept on same pace
held up, weakened 5 out
in touch, blundered 8th, soon weakened
held up mid-division, weakened from 5 out
held up in touch, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened 2 out
in touch, not fluent 3 out, soon ridden, weakened 2 out
behind from 6th, pulled up before 4 out
held up, headway after 4 out, one pace from next, never dangerous
held up, blundered 6th, never dangerous
behind, weakened 8th, fell last
held up behind, tailed off and pulled up before 2 out
held up, weakened from 3 out
with leader, led 6th to 8th, chasing leaders and going well when hit 3 out, soon lost place, stayed on from last
mid-division, headway 4 out, ridden to lead approaching last, kept on well
A fiercely competitive contest but this race has gone to a horse in the first half dozen in the market more often than not in recent years so we'll focus our attentions on the market leaders. Leslingtaylor gets the nod. Andreas should go well but has gone up another 1lb, Wanango is 18lbs higher having made a mockery of his rating at Uttoxeter and Lennon up 4lbs for his Doncaster second. Last year, Bambi De L'Orme struck a blow for the more exposed runners and a similar result couldn't be ruled out but we're going to try and find one that looks open to more improvement; Desert Quest, Leslingtaylor, Four Chimneys and Dev all fit that bill. Desert Quest has more than his share of ability but is too quirky for our liking, Four Chimneys may prefer further and may not be good enough. Dev can be given a chance on a line through the selection on their running over course and distance in October. He's a fresh horse and on a nice racing weight following his win at Sandown. The selection was below par at Cheltenham and it can only be hoped that that run hasn't left a mark. He has decent claims if you take that run out of the equation; he has run well in big fields over hurdles and jumps well enough for that not to be a concern here as he showed when beating Tidal Bay. He may just have a touch of class and this sort of track suits him ideally; Leslingtaylor can bounce back.
Andreas (FR) 10-1 (11-12) Held up towards rear, headway after 10th, ridden and every chance 2 out, no extra from last, 4th of 17, 5l behind Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Wanango (GER) 6-1 (11-2) Held up, effort approaching 2 out, shaken up and not quicken after 2 out, stayed on same pace flat, never in contention, 11th of 22, 15l behind Silver Jaro (10-13) at Cheltenham 2m 1f hcp hdl Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Lennon (IRE) 8-1 (11-6) Led to 1st, chased leader, led 8th, ridden and hung right from 3 out, strongly pressed from 2 out, headed close home, 2nd of 11, nk behind Howle Hill (11-4) at Doncaster 2m hcp chs (2) gd in Feb.
Calatagan (IRE) 50-1 (11-2) Held up behind, headway after 3 out, soon ridden, kept on from last, 3rd of 17, 3l behind Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Lord Henry (IRE) 25-1 (11-5) Led until 8th, gradually weakened, tailed off when pulled up 3 out in race won by Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar, 17 ran.
Saintsaire (FR) 16-1 (10-12) Mid-division when blundered and unseated rider at the 5th in race won by Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar, 17 ran.
Desert Quest (IRE) 13-8 (11-5) Tracked leader, led 4 out, hit 2 out, edged left before last, ridden when idled flat, edged left, in command towards finish, won at Ludlow 2m nov chs (3) gd in Mar beating City Affair (10-12) by 1 1/2l, 7 ran.
Leslingtaylor (IRE) 20-1 (11-7) Held up mid-division, slightly hampered 6th, behind from 9th, 11th of 14, well behind Tidal Bay (11-7) at Cheltenham 2m nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar.
Bambi de L'Orme (FR) 20-1 (10-2) Mid-division, mistake 4th, saddle slipped and pulled up at the 5th in race won by Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar, 17 ran.
Greenhope (IRE) 25-1 (10-11) Chased leaders until 8th, not fluent next, ridden when mistake 3 out, weakened, 10th of 17, 29l behind Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Almaydan 25-1 (10-7) Chased leaders, led 9th, mistake 4 out, ridden and headed 2 out, kept on same pace, 5th of 17, 11l behind Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Magic Sky (FR) 33-1 (10-3) Mid-division, hit 1st and 2nd, ridden when hit 3 out, weakened next, 9th of 17, 18l behind Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Marcel (FR) 16-1 (10-1) Held up in mid-division, headway 3 out, ridden to lead after last, stayed on gamely, won at Kelso 2m 1f hcp chs (2) gd in Mar beating Roman Ark (11-4) by 1 1/2l, 6 ran.
Ela Re 8-1 (10-13) Prominent, slightly outpaced after 8th, rallied 3 out, narrow lead last, headed last strides, 2nd of 8, nk behind Edmo Yewkay (11-2) at Haydock 2m hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in Mar.
Four Chimneys (IRE) 9-2 (9-11) Tracked leaders, 4th halfway, 3rd 3 out, disputing lead when left in front 2 out, headed at last, kept on same pace, 2nd of 6, 2l behind Clew Bay Cove (10-11) at Gowran Park 2m hcp chs sft in Mar.
Tramantano 16-1 (10-2) Held up towards rear, ridden and headway 3 out, one pace from next, 8th of 17, 16l behind Tiger Cry (10-6) at Cheltenham 2m hcp chs Grd 3 (1) gs in Mar.
Dev (IRE) 7-4fav (11-8) Chased leader, led 4th, hard pressed from 3 out, driven out, won at Sandown 2m hcp chs 0-125 (3) gd in Mar beating Kervriou (9-13) by 2 1/2l, 6 ran.
Stan (NZ) 8-1 (11-8) In touch, ridden after 4 out, held when stumbled 2 out, kept on same pace, 5th of 10, 13l behind Herecomestanley (11-7) at Kempton 3m hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in Feb.
