held up in rear, last and struggling 8th, never involved, tailed off
mistakes, held up in rear, not fluent 7th, headway to 4th when blundered 10th, no chance with leading trio when mistake 14th, stayed on to poor 3rd and blundered last
tracked leading trio, went 3rd after 8th, disputing close 2nd after 13th, challenged 4 out, led 3 out, ridden and in command before last, driven out
always towards rear, driven and struggling after 10th, tailed off 13th, pulled up soon after
in touch, driven and struggling in modest 5th 12th, stayed on run in to modest 4th close home
led until 2nd, chased leader, not fluent 7th, pressing leader when blundered 4 out, challenged next, chased winner after, held when switched left before last, stayed on same pace run-in
chased leading pair, mistake 3rd, not fluent 7th, lost 3rd after next, weakened 10th, tailed off 13th, pulled up soon after
led 2nd, ridden and joined 4 out, headed next and dropped to 3rd, weakened and no chance with leading duo when lost 3rd last, dropped to 5th close home
SILVINIACO CONTI emerged as a genuine Gold Cup contender in the autumn and can shrug off an absence to keep his unbeaten record intact this season with victory here. Paul Nicholls' much-improved seven-year-old beat King George winner Long Run in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November with The Giant Bolster back in third and Weird Al fourth. On a line through Long Run, he has nothing to fear from Junior while Master Of The Hall is out of sorts and French import Mail De Bievre will need to be smart to figure after a lengthy absence. Stamina could be a problem for Little Josh, who fell heavily at Cheltenham, and Menorah though the latter won well over shorter at Kempton in December and is very talented.
Master Of The Hall (IRE) 8-1 (11-7) Chased clear leading pair, closed 7th, went 2nd 10th until 3 out, weakened and lost 2nd before 2 out, tired when blundered last, lost poor 4th in closing stages, 5th of 7, well behind Reve De Sivola (11-7) at Ascot 3m 1f hdl G1 (1) hvy in Dec.
Menorah (IRE) 7-2 (11-5) Held up in touch, closed 10th, went 2nd when not fluent next, led 12th, clear 2 out, ridden out, won at Kempton 2m 4f Grade 2 chs (4yo+) (1) hvy in Dec beating Hunt Ball (11-3) by 3 1/2l, 5 ran.
Silviniaco Conti (FR) 7-4 (11-7) Led, not fluent last, soon ridden, kept on well, won at Haydock 3m chs G1 (1) sft in Nov beating Long Run (11-7) by 2 1/2l, 5 ran.
Weird Al (IRE) 7-1 (11-10) Mid-division on outside, struggling 13th, soon weakened and pulled up, in a race won by Cape Tribulation (11-6) at Cheltenham 3m 1f chs Grd 2 (1) hvy in Jan, 10 ran.
Junior 28-1 (11-10) Led or disputed lead to 10th, weakened 4 out, 7th of 9, 29l behind Long Run (11-10) at Kempton 3m Grade 1 chs (4yo+) (1) hvy in Dec.
The Giant Bolster 6-1 (11-10) Held up in touch on outside, pushed along 10th, lost place next, weakened and pulled up before 3 out, in a race won by Long Run (11-10) at Kempton 3m Grade 1 chs (4yo+) (1) hvy in Dec, 9 ran.
Little Josh (IRE) 20-1 (11-4) Made most until fell 6th, in a race won by Cape Tribulation (11-6) at Cheltenham 3m 1f chs Grd 2 (1) hvy in Jan, 10 ran.
Mail De Bievre (FR) 6-4fav (10-3) 4th of 10, 1 3/4l behind Rushwell (10-7) at Auteuil(FR) 2m 3f hdl sft in Sep '11.
