tracked leader, left leader 7th, ridden after 2 out, headed and weakened after last
mid-division, tracked leaders approaching 4 out, ridden approaching 2 out, soon one pace
tracked leaders until led 4th, 2 lengths up when lost footing and fell 7th
tracked leaders, weakened 4 out, pulled up before next
mid-division, tracked leaders 4 out, headway to lead after last, soon driven out flat
led until headed 4th, ridden and weakened from next
mid-division, weakened halfway, pulled up before 3 out
tracked leaders, hit 3rd, weakened halfway, well beaten when jumped badly right last
always behind, pulled up before 4 out
towards rear, struggling from halfway, pulled up before 4 out
Nonrunner
While Oscar Honey has to be respected on old form the preference is for SPHINX while Wheyeye and Saturn Island also have claims. Sphinx gets the call after some decent efforts against better rivals than this recently. The form line from the last of those looks strong through winner Thetwincamdrift and third placed Bench Warrent and with the ground falling in the selection¿s remit things look good on these terms. Oscar Honey was competitive at the top level in Ireland last year but has been inconsistent since. The form from his runners-up spot behind Whiskey Creek two starts ago is strong enough and he will handle the ground and trip but seems to be either hit of miss. Wheyeye may have been hankering after soft ground having won a bumper on it. Hurdles performances have been improving but stamina remains a question mark for this trip. Saturn Island has shown little in two starts including on hurdles debut last time but should have more here but the conditions seem to favour Sphinx the most.
Cassius (IRE) 7-1 (11-4) Tracked leaders, jumped right 4 out, soon ridden, one pace, 4th of 18, 27l behind Description (10-3) at Kelso 2m 6f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) sft in Feb.
Classic Cut 20-1 (10-12) Mid-division, reminders 5th, headway 4 out, ridden and kept on from next, never troubled leaders, 4th of 14, 11l behind What A Buzz (11-5) at Newcastle 2m 4f nov hdl (4) hvy in Jan.
Oscar Honey (IRE) 15-2 (11-5) Behind, struggling 8th, tailed off when pulled up 3 out in race won by Akilak (11-4) at Newcastle 2m 4f hcp chs (2) sft in Dec, 12 ran.
Saturn Island (IRE) 22-1 (11-0) Held up, headway to join leaders after 6th, driven out, outpaced 3 out, weakened next, 4th of 5, 38l behind Political Paddy (11-5) at Newcastle 2m 6f nov hdl (2) hvy in Feb.
Sphinx (FR) 14-1 (11-0) Held up in touch, challenged 3 out, every chance next, no extra flat, 4th of 14, 7l behind Thetwincamdrift (11-0) at Doncaster 3m mdn hdl (4) gs in Jan.
The Dunion 50-1 (8-8) Slow away, always towards rear, 12th of 17, 12l behind Golden Groom (9-4) at Newcastle 2m hcap (6) gf in Sept '07 (Flat).
Vicious Prince (IRE) 200-1 (10-4) Tracked leaders, ridden approaching 8th and soon weakened, 10th of 14, well behind Fortysecond Street (11-0) at Musselburgh 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) gd in Dec.
Beau Peak 25-1 (9-12) In rear and mistakes, struggling from 8th, tailed off when pulled up at the 11th in race won by Toy Gun (11-11) at Carlisle 3m hcp chs 0-90 (5) hvy in Dec, 7 ran.
Flutina 50-1 (10-10) Tracked leaders, ridden and weakened 2 out, 8th of 16, 37l behind Sir Tantallus Hawk (11-3) at Catterick 2m 3f nov hdl (4) gs in Feb.
Foxy Nell 100-1 (10-7) Always behind, 12th of 13, well behind McMurrough (11-7) at Kelso 2m nhf (6) gd in Oct.
Primitive Fire 33-1 (9-7) Held up, weakened 6f out, 8th of 9, well behind Turbo Island (10-2) at Ayr 2m nhf (6) sft in Feb.
Wheyaye 33-1 (10-9) Behind, struggling halfway, kept on from 3 out, never near leaders, 4th of 11, 8l behind Magellan Straits (10-13) at Newcastle 2m nov hdl (4) hvy in Feb.
