held up in rear, some headway when not clear run after 3 out, no impression on leaders after, not fluent 2 out, went 4th last
mid-division, ridden after 6th, well beaten after 3 out
prominent, jumped slowly 6th, soon lost place, behind 3 out, fell last
held up in rear, modest headway 3 out, soon weakened
held up towards rear, ridden and struggling when hampered 6th, soon well behind, tailed off
held up, closed 4th, fell 6th
led until jumped slowly 2nd, prominent, challenging when left in lead 2 out, edged slightly right flat, driven out
prominent, led 2nd, not fluent 5th, narrow advantage when fell 2 out
prominent, ridden and one pace when left 3rd 2 out, edged left and not much room last, stayed on flat
mid-division on outside, ridden and behind 7th, no impression after
prominent until 3rd, tracked leaders, lost place from 4th, behind 6th, tailed off
tracked leaders, hampered and left 2 out, every chance when not fluent last, no impression towards finish
in touch, ridden after 5th, blundered 3 out, outpaced and well held before next
mid-division, headway after 7th, no impression after 3 out, well held before next
Grand March went up 8lb for landing a minor handicap at Uttoxeter and was always struggling when raised in class at Cheltenham a couple of weeks later though that didn't look his form. Overpriced hasn't won for a long time and has dropped to a lowly rating as a consequence while Blake Dean appears to need very testing ground. Gurkha Brave hasn't done as well as expected after landing a fast-ground Warwick maiden in July but Patavium would have some sort of chance if in the kind of form that saw him win here in March. The once useful SAFARI JOURNEY rarely runs over timber these days but he's dropped to such a lowly mark that a chance is taken that a return to the smaller obstacles will have the desired effect and Dean Pratt's claim is a bonus.
Gurkha Brave (IRE) 5-1 (11-2) Held up in rear, headway 2 out, kept on well closing stages, never nearer, 4th of 9, 16l behind Nexius (11-12) at Musselburgh 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-120 (4) gd in Nov.
Grand March 12-1 (10-7) Held up towards rear on inside, well beaten from 4th, tailed off 3 out, pulled up after, in a race won by Chesterfield (11-10) at Cheltenham 2m nov hcp hdl (3) sft in Nov, 19 ran.
Overpriced 16-1 (10-8) Midfield, under pressure 4 out, soon beaten, 4th of 9, 10l behind Forced Family Fun (11-6) at Wetherby 2m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) sft in Nov.
Safari Journey (USA) 8-1 (11-1) Held up in rear, mistake 5th, modest headway 4 out, not fluent and well beaten from next, 7th of 9, 20l behind No Likey (11-3) at Uttoxeter 2m hcp chs 0-120 (4) gd in Jun.
Tinseltown 66-1 (10-6) Mid-division, brought down 4th, in a race won by Trust Thomas (10-9) at Newcastle 2m nov hcp chs 0-120 (4) sft in Nov, 8 ran.
Madrasa (IRE) 16-1 (10-1) Held up towards rear, pushed along before 3 out, soon weakened, 6th of 9, 19l behind Boruma (10-11) at Doncaster 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-120 (4) sft in Nov.
Funky Munky 10-1 (9-11) Always behind, 7th of 11, 28l behind Tikkandemickey (11-5) at Hexham 2m hcp hdl 0-120 (4) hvy in Nov.
Birthday Guest (GER) 33-1 (11-9) Held up towards rear, headway after 3 out, weakened before 2 out, pulled up before last, in a race won by Dun To Perfection (10-12) at Hexham 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-100 (5) hvy in Nov, 10 ran.
Blake Dean 10-1 (9-10) Tracked leaders in 4th, lost place 9th, fell heavily 2 out, in a race won by Distime (11-8) at Sedgefield 2m 4f nov hcp chs 0-120 (4) sft in Nov, 9 ran.
Patavium (IRE) 10-1 (10-2) Held up, headway 7th, outpaced after next, weakened 3 out, 4th of 7, 31l behind Keeneland (11-12) at Kelso 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-120 (4) gd in Apr.
Uplifted (IRE) 22-1 (10-9) Prominent until before 4th, well behind 6th, 7th of 9, well behind El Beau (10-12) at Musselburgh 2m 3yo hdl (4) gd in Nov.
Danceintothelight 11-1 (10-7) Always behind, 7th of 12, 40l behind Madam Lilibet (10-11) at Hexham 3m hcp hdl 0-100 (5) sft in Nov.
Izbushka (IRE) 25-1 (9-11) In rear, ridden after 4 out, never dangerous, 6th of 11, 15l behind Trafficker (11-1) at Wetherby 2m 6f cond nov hcp hdl 0-105 (4) gd in Oct.
Macgillycuddy 150-1 (10-7) Held up in touch in mid-division, closed 8th, weakened after 4 out, tailed off, 6th of 13, well behind Chidswell (11-0) at Ayr 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) gs in Oct.
