made all, soon clear, hit 13th, stayed on strongly
prominent, weakened quickly and pulled up after 7th
held up towards rear, headway 13th, clear 2nd 3 out until no extra close home
towards rear, struggling halfway, behind when fell 14th
chased leaders until outpaced 4 out
in touch, hit 15th, soon pushed along, ridden 3 out, beaten when mistake next, stayed on to regain 2nd towards finish, no chance with winner
A competitive finale can go the way of Anshan Spirit with Croc An Oir and Novel Idea others to consider. The selection is a course and distance winner and she clearly enjoys racing here as she has now won twice on the track. She scored impressively here last time and with the ground very much in her favour here she looks a stand-out bet. Croc An Oir would have strong claims on his best form but he has been off the track since October 2005. However, he does go well fresh and if the market speaks in his favour then it could pay to take the hint. Novel Idea has got some decent form in point-to-points so he has to be of interest, along with the consistent Carnacrack. This is not an easy race to solve but we will nominate Anshan Spirit as the one to beat.
Anshan Spirit (IRE) 15-8fav (11-4) Mid-division, headway to lead 6th, headed 2 out, rallied to regain lead flat, won at Kelso 3m 1f hts chs (5) gf beating Telemoss (12-4) by 3l, 9 ran.
Be My Manager (IRE) 20-1 (11-8) Led to 14th, chased leaders until weakened 5 out, 4th of 12, well behind Waking Ned (12-0) at Perth 3m 7f hts chs (5) sft in Apr.
Croc An Oir (IRE) 3-1jt-fav (11-11) Held up towards rear, headway when mistake 15th, led 2 out, stayed on strongly, won at Kelso 3m 1f hcp chs 0-115 (D) gf in Oct '05 beating Primitive Way (10-0) by 1 1/2l, 6 ran.
Half Of Nothing 2-1 (12-0) Led til hdd 8; ev ch 3 out; one-pcd, 2nd of 3, 3l behind Know The Ropes (12-0) at Mosshouses 3m ptp frm.
High Expectations (IRE) 33-1 (11-7) Mid-division, outpaced 14th, 6th of 9, well behind Anshan Spirit (11-4) at Kelso 3m 1f hts chs (5) gf.
Novel Idea (IRE) 6-4fav (12-0) A.p; led 12; clr 15; unchall, won at Mosshouses 3m ptp frm beating Mitchel Henry (12-0) by 6l, 5 ran.
Carnacrack 9-2jt-fav (10-7) Always prominent, led 4 out, stayed on gamely, won at Cartmel 3m 2f hcp chs 0-105 (E) gf in Jul '05 beating Be The Tops (11-12) by 2 1/2l, 13 ran.
