held up in rear, ridden 3 out, never in contention
held up in rear, ridden 3 out, never a factor
in touch, headway to chase leaders 3 out, went 2nd 2 out, weakened before last
held up in rear, smooth headway approaching 2 out, chased leader well before last, led early flat, stayed on well, driven out
led, not fluent 3rd, headed after 3 out, weakened approaching 2 out
chased leader, blundered 3rd, hit 5th, weakened soon after 2 out, tailed off when blundered last
held up in touch, headway to lead after 3 out, ridden and joined last, headed early flat, one pace
pulled hard, held up in touch, headway to track leading pair 3rd, went 2nd well before 2 out, hampered 2 out, weakened before last
prominent to 3rd, mistake and struggling next, continued, tailed off
A tricky start to the card and a chance is taken with handicapping debutante The Big Canadian, while Beau Michel, Templer and William Bonney are also open to improvement and also make the shortlist. William Bonney, assuming he can handle the heavy ground, could go well for each-way backers. The six-year-old was very lightly raced during his time in Ireland with Tony Mullins, but did win a bumper on soft/heavy ground. This is his toughest assignment to date but he has the scope to at least make the frame. Templer deserved his success at Wincanton last November and is going the right way. He was not unduly punished by the handicapper and will be a tough customer to deal with at this level. Beau Michel has shown signs of ability but, despite being a stoutly-bred type, he failed to get home over two-and-a-half miles at Haydock last time. He will be wiser for the run though and may improve for this drop in distance. From the rest: Scottish raider Open De L'Isle comes a long way for this and, like the selection, is making his first start in a race of this nature. Like his half-brother, Moustique De L'Isle, the gelding has a proven liking for the mud and could easily cause something of a surprise. King Louis will handle the going but has improvement to find, while Mr Shambles struggles for consistency and is hard to enthuse about too strongly. Therefore, in a race full of pitfalls, it can pay to give The Big Canadian a chance to shine. The gelding is at the right end of the weights for the time being and, as his half-brother Il Duce handles some give underfoot, there are plenty of positive signs that he should be able to cope with the conditions.
Beau Michel (FR) 11-4 (11-5) Held up mid-division, every chance 3 out, weakened approaching next, 4th of 11, 17l behind Kanpai (11-7) at Haydock 2m 4f nov hdl (2) gs in Nov.
Open de L'Isle (FR) 4-1 (11-2) Held up in rear, headway halfway, led last, ridden out, won at Hexham 2m nov hdl (4) hvy in Dec beating Pee Jay's Dream (10-12) by 5l, 6 ran.
Templer (IRE) 6-1 (10-10) In touch, headway after 3 out, challenged approaching 2 out, led after last, stayed on well flat, won at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl 0-120 (3) gs in Nov beating Magical Legend (11-0) by 1l, 13 ran.
William Bonney (IRE) 100-1 (11-0) Held up, mistake 2nd, headway 3 out, left in remote 3rd at last, 3rd of 13, 19l behind Tidal Bay (11-8) at Cheltenham 2m 1f nh nov hdl (2) sft in Dec.
King Louis (FR) 14-1 (11-0) Led to 2nd, pressed winner until blundered badly 3 out, weakened after next, 4th of 8, 29l behind Sir Jimmy Shand (11-0) at Folkestone 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) hvy in Nov.
Mr Shambles 9-1 (11-1) Chased leaders, went 2nd 3 out, weakened approaching next, 6th of 15, 27l behind Franco (10-12) at Market Rasen 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) sft in Dec.
Thenford Flyer (IRE) 25-1 (11-9) Mid-division, headway 3rd, not fluent 3 out, beaten when pulled up at the last in race won by Cousin Nicky (11-7) at Newbury 2m 5f nov hcp hdl 0-120 (3) hvy in Nov, 12 ran.
The Big Canadian (IRE) 11-4 (10-12) In touch, headway to chase winner soon after 3 out, driven approaching 2 out, no impression between last 2, 2nd of 13, 11l behind My Turn Now (11-5) at Kempton 2m nh nov hdl (4) gs in Nov.
Blazing Batman 200-1 (9-13) Led until 3rd, chased leaders, led 6th until 9th, close up until dropped behind 25th, blundered 4 out, 10th of 12, 48l behind Spot Thedifference (11-12) at Cheltenham 3m 7f crs cty hcp chs (2) sft in Dec.
