held up in rear, pushed along 5 out, weakened quickly and pulled up after next
tracked winner, outpaced after 8th, 23 lengths behind when fell 2 out
held up in rear, outpaced when blundered badly 4 out, tried to refuse when left remote 2nd 2 out, no chance
chased leading pair, reminders halfway, pushed along 10th, soon weakened, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
held up, blundered badly and unseated rider when 2nd
made all, quickened clear after 8th, left virtually alone 2 out
Howard Johnson has been trying to get a run into Inching Closer for quite some time now and he must be reaching the point of exasperation as the weather has scuppered a number of his chances. However, assuming the course passes the 7:30am inspection, this looks to be a good opportunity for the gelding to pick up some valuable experience in this sphere before going on to tackle bigger prizes. Simply Supreme was a useful hurdler and is respected as a live danger- although Temple Dog has also progressed nicely from bumpers to chasing and will be winning further races before too long. However, Inching Closer is sure to have been well schooled since he got off the mark over fences and he is fancied to confirm his home reputation as one to follow this season. The seven-year-old showed that he has the right attitude for a battle when wining the Pertemps Hurdle at Cheltenham last March and if he arrives here in the same frame of mind, he will be very difficult to get past as the race unfolds.
