mid-division on inside, pushed along home turn, soon outpaced,
held up towards rear, never on terms
chased leaders, pushed along and weakened quickly before 3 out, tailed off
raced wide in mid-division, headway out wide before 3 out, no extra run-in
well in rear, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out
held up off the pace towards rear, headway out wide chasing leaders turning in, weakened 2 out
held up in mid-division, headway chasing leaders before 3 out, edged left and ridden between last two, stayed on well run-in, led post
off tha pace in last pair, never a factor, tailed off
held up in mid-division, headway chasing leaders before 6th, went 2nd and stumbled 2 out, hard ridden when rider dropped reins and led inside final 100 yards, headed post
led, strongly pressed last, headed inside final 100 yards, no extra in 3rd
chased leader, pushed along before 3 out, mistake stumbled and lost 2nd next, weakening when mistake last
rear-division, behind and struggling after 4 out, tailed off
chased leaders, ridden before last, no extra run-in
Though restricted to conditional jockeys, this is a competitive opener. Karakoram never seems to run a bad race but is still at the right end of the handicap. LIME DROP looked to be on the verge of recapturing last season’s progressive form when second at Newbury so she may be the one to side with ahead of three-times Flat winner Pleasant Man and Wavering Down, the pick of Jeremy Scott’s duo. Kingofthewest has had another break since his third at Worcester in October and Naturally High has a lengthy absence to overcome but Colonial Empire arrives on a hat-trick and Hititi was a winner over 2m here when last seen over hurdles. Gingerbred is also worth a market check.
Kingofthewest (IRE) 9-2 (11-12) Mid-division, ridden after 3 out, kept on, never on terms, 3rd of 16, 25l behind Branson Missouri (10-9) at Worcester 2m 4f hcp (4) sft in Oct.
Lime Drop (FR) 16-1 (11-5) Raced keenly towards rear, good headway chasing leaders before 3 out, went 2nd before the last, ridden and stayed on run-in, always held, 2nd of 9, 1 3/4l behind Midnight Ginger (11-9) at Newbury 2m hcp (3) sft in Dec.
Forrard Away (IRE) 22-1 (11-11) Tracked leaders, went 2nd 3 out, ridden next, weakened, 15th of 18, 34 1/2l behind Pike County (11-11) at Punchestown 2m hcp Yielding - Soft in Nov.
Hititi (FR) 3-1fav (11-6) Ran bit in snatches, mostly tracked leaders, pushed along out wide before 4 out, went 3rd after 2 out, 3rd of 8, 5 1/2l behind Sheldon (11-13) at Exeter 2m 3f hcp (4) hvy in Jan.
Naturally High (FR) 11-8fav (10-8) Mid-division, lost place before turning in, soon rallied and chased leaders before 2 out, led between last two, clear last, stayed on well, won at Sandown 2m hcp (4) gs in Dec beating Kamaxos (11-9) by 4 3/4l, 9 ran.
Colonial Empire 6-4fav (12-0) Chased leaders on inside, went 2nd after 4 out, led going well before 2 out, stayed on strongly, won at Ffos Las 2m hcp (5) sft in Dec beating Weaver's Answer (10-8) by 6 1/2l, 14 ran.
Gingerbred 6-1 (11-2) Held up in last pair, smooth headway out wide tracking leaders when fell 3 out, at Exeter 2m 1f hcp (4) hvy in Jan.
Scrappy Jack (IRE) 25-1 (11-12) Towards rear, lost touch 6th, pulled up, at Taunton 2m 3f hcp (4) gs in Dec.
Pleasant Man 6-4jfav (11-5) Raced keenly, held up towards rear, steady headway out wide 4 out, went 3rd after 3 out, staying on same pace and no impression when hit next and slight stumble on landing, 3rd of 12, 15 1/2l behind Iliko D'olivate (11-5) at Taunton 2m 3f (4) sft in Jan.
Wavering Down (IRE) 3-1 (10-10) Led, ridden 3 out, held every chance 2 out, headed before last, kept on same pace towards finish, 3rd of 6, 9l behind Sayadam (12-0) at Fontwell 2m 3f hcp (3) sft in Nov.
Bonza Boy 18-1 (11-3) Chased leaders, pushed along home turn, outpaced before 3 out, beaten when mistake next, 5th of 11, 25 3/4l behind Mr Muldoon (11-11) at Chepstow 2m 3f hcp (4) sft in Jan.
Global Agreement 14-1 (10-10) Jumped badly left at times, chased leader, led and went left 3 out, went badly left again next, headed between last two, went left and stumbled last, stayed on same pace run-in, no chance with winner, 2nd of 6, 3 3/4l behind Moorland Rambler (11-1) at Exeter 2m 1f hcp (4) hvy in Jan.
Karakoram 5-1 (10-9) Prominent, pushed along approaching 2 out, ridden and no extra from before last, 3rd of 15, 8 1/4l behind Fame And Fun (10-11) at Taunton 2m 3f hcp (4) gs in Dec.
