tracked leader, led 5th, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, rallied and every chance run-in, no extra towards finish
tracked leaders, headway 5 out, led approaching 2 out, headed towards finish no extra
held up in rear, headway 4 out, ridden and effort 2 out, stayed on under pressure run-in to lead near finish
towards rear, pushed and outpaced 4 out, one pace next
led to 5th, remained close up, weakened quickly approaching 2 out, soon behind
tracked leaders, weakened quickly 4 out, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out
in touch, headway 12th, dropped rear after 5 out, fell next
Avalanche could be another winner for Tony McCoy, with topweight Turgeonev, Perange and Simply Gifted also likely to run well. Avalanche was a beaten favourite last time out when put over hurdles at Warwick, but that does at least mean that he does not have another weight rise to contend with as regards to his chase mark. He has been creeping up the weights thanks to some decent efforts against useful opposition, including a length defeat of Reiziger at Kempton in February. Trainer John Best decided against sending him to the Festival, and is only giving him another couple of races this season, so will be hopeful that he proves up to the task today. He receives nearly a stone from Turgeonev, that should be enough, although Tim Easterby's charge has looked more like his old self this season and will not go down without a fight. Things have not gone right for Perange this term but if his jumping holds up, he does not appear badly treated and can take a hand, while Simply Gifted has probably been too highly tried since coming back from a wind operation, and will appreciate this lesser company. The trip is a bit of a problem though and we much prefer the claims of Avalanche.
