prominent, ridden 4f out, soon weakened
prominent, ridden and weakening when ran off track over 3f out
in touch, headway 5f out, ridden to lead 3f out, headed over 2f out, no extra
led, ridden and headed 3f out, one pace
prominent, ridden 5f out, kept on same pace final furlong
towards rear, ridden and effort 4f out, weakened 1f out
towards rear, ridden and outpaced halfway, kept on same pace
held up in touch, headway on bit 4f out, shaken up to lead over 2f out, quickened clear final furlong
chased leader, ridden over 4f out, one pace final 3f
Not much reliable evidence to go on, so the selection of Hills Of Home is made in the hope that he can brush aside his penalty against his unraced rivals The Nightingale, Clause Spirit and Finney. As a son of Supreme Leader, Finney can be expected to cope with the ground. He hails from good stock and a market move would be noteworthy. Clause Spirit is also the product of a good jumping pedigree and can use this a good starting point. His rider takes 7lb off with his claim and it will be interesting to see how he fares this afternoon. Being a Paul Nicholls inmate virtually assures The Nightingale will attract the interest of the betting market. However, his breeding is not outstanding and it would be dangerous to simply jump on board the stable's bandwagon without the support of the betting market. Therefore, it can pay to go with Hills Of Home, who is rated as a decent prospect by his trainer, Alan King. The son of Pasternak bolted up on his solitary previous outing and, as this does not look any tougher, he is expected to take the beating - even under a 7lb penalty.
Hills of Home (IRE) 10-1 (10-13) Tracked leaders, led over 4f out, soon clear, easily, won at Fontwell 2m 2f nhf (6) gf in Apr beating Bering de Lauriere (10-12) by 18l, 9 ran.
Ansome 25-1 (11-0) Always towards rear, last of 8, 22l behind Hold Em (11-7) at Ascot 2m nhf (3) gf in Nov.
Calusa Spirit Rakaposhi King gelding out of Gentle Echo.
Ethiopia Silver Patriarch gelding, half-brother to numerous winners on the flat and over hurdles.
Finney Supreme Leader gelding out of an unraced mare.
Freddy's Star (IRE) 8-1 (10-13) Led, headed after 1f, led again after 2f, ridden over 1f out, headed final strides, 3rd of 13, hd behind Hillridge (10-11) at Chepstow 2m nhf (6) gd in Mar.
Hey Big Spender (IRE) Rudimentary gelding out of a lightly-raced mare.
Le Toto Mtoto gelding, half-brother to 7f winner Duo Leoni and hurdler Low Expectations.
Nicholas The Spark (IRE) Saddlers' Hall gelding out of winning jumper/bumper Merapi.
Orion d'Oudairies (FR) 12-1 (11-0) Mid-division, headway over 5f out, one pace, no impression on leaders final 3f, 9th of 18, 8l behind Phoudamour (10-9) at Uttoxeter 2m nhf (5) gd in Nov.
Patsy Finnegan Sir Harry Lewis gelding, half-brother to winning hurdler/chaser Bay Fair and bumper/chaser Zanzibar.
The Nightingale (FR) Cadoudal gelding out of 1m2f and hurdles winner Double Spring.
Zaffarans Scene Zaffaran gelding out of 1m2f-1m3f and hurdles winner Rossmore Girl.
Court Princess 100-1 (10-7) Mid-division until weakened 6f out, 14th of 16, 34l behind Take Me There (11-7) at Hereford 2m 1f nhf (6) gs.
Dip Anchor 40-1 (10-3) Chased leaders until weakened over 4f out, 11th of 15, well behind Forest Pennant (11-4) at Kempton 2m nhf (6) gs in Feb.
