mid-division, lost place 4th, soon tailed off
held up towards rear, steady headway from halfway, stayed on remote 3rd, never placed to challenge
chased leaders, lost place 3rd, soon behind
held up mid-division, weakened after 6th
tracked leader, led before 2 out, soon clear, not fluent last, easily
led strong pace, headed approaching 2 out, soon weakened
held up, never dangerous
Nonrunner
This lies between Sainte Kadette, Backstage and Working Title with the latter readily preferred. The bumper he won in May wasn't much of a contest but he did his job well enough despite showing signs of greenness. His yard entertain high hopes for him and have saddled the last two winners of this race; he can make it three. Sainte Kadette failed to run her race behind Franchoek last time but she is useful and won't be easy to pass if her usual frontrunning tactics are employed. The weight that she receives will come in handy and she is respected. Backstage is another with plenty of ability but could be unfortunate to bump into a pair of above average horses this afternoon and he may need further. Working Title's lack of experience must be a concern but he's taken to make a winning debut over obstacles.
Gem Mill (IRE) 66-1 (10-12) Tracked leaders, led 3rd, headed 8th, weakened after 4 out, 8th of 10, well behind The Apprentice (10-9) at Plumpton 2m 5f nh nov hdl (4) sft in Dec.
I'm The Decider (IRE) 7-1 (10-12) Held up, headway 4 out, ridden and weakened next, 9th of 16, 33l behind Star Player (10-12) at Carlisle 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) gs in Nov.
McGarry's Lane (IRE) 66-1 (10-5) Mid-division, ridden and weakened after 4 out, tailed off when pulled up at the last in race won by Quarry Town (10-12) at Ludlow 2m 5f nh nov hdl (4) gd in Nov, 12 ran.
Musical Chairs (IRE) 25-1 (11-1) Always behind, 13th of 14, well behind Presentandcorrect (11-1) at Fontwell 2m 2f nh nov hdl (4) gd in Mar.
Working Title (IRE) 8-11fav (11-2) Tracked leaders, ridden over 3f out, led over 1f out, ran on well, won at Uttoxeter 2m mdn nhf (6) gd in May beating Gone Tomorrow (11-2) by 4l, 14 ran.
Sainte Kadette (FR) 4-1 (10-13) Led, hit 5th, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, soon weakened, 8th of 9, 33l behind Franchoek (11-2) at Cheltenham 2m nov hdl Grd 2 (1) gd in Nov.
Navelina 100-1 (10-5) Keen, behind, saddle slipped after 1st and pulled up at the 2nd in race won by Striking Article (10-12) at Wetherby 2m nov hdl (4) gs in Dec, 17 ran.
Backstage (FR) 4-1 (11-3) Tracked leaders, chased leader 3 out, ridden and led 2 out, driven and headed flat, kept on, 2nd of 6, hd behind Dhehdaah (11-12) at Leicester 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gs in Nov.
Zahra's Place 33-1 (10-12) Took keen hold, in touch from 3rd, ridden after 3 out, weakened after last, 6th of 17, 9l behind The Polomoche (11-5) at Huntingdon 2m nh nov hdl (4) hvy.
