jumped well, led, joined 2 out, narrowly headed soon after, kept on well and every chance until pecked last, held flat
raced in 3rd, chased leaders 2nd to after 4th, not fluent and reminder after 5th, mistake and weakened from 8th, tailed off 3 out
tracked leaders until 3rd, went 2nd again 4th, challenged, going easily from 3 out, joined leader 2 out, soon led, hard driven and kept on well flat, all out
Although absent since winning a handicap hurdle off a mark of 100 at Stratford in July 2001, Genuine Article might prove to be worth chancing in a poor contest and gets the vote over his two rivals Ambience Lady and Dunkerron. Folkestone bumper winner Ambience Lady showed little sign of ability over hurdles but looked unlucky on her chase debut here recently when the saddle slipped badly at the final fence when two lengths clear. She obviously warrants respect and rates a bigger threat than the Philip Hobbs-trained Dunkerron, who looks to be one of the stable's lesser lights having recorded just one win (in a selling handicap hurdle) from 19 starts. Genuine Article was easily the best of these over hurdles and it is interesting that his trainer has decided to run him in a handicap on his return rather than a novices' chase. Well treated for his debut in the grade, Genuine Article is taken to defy the absence from the track.
