hld up, 20L bh appr 10th, hdw after 3 out, e.c last, rdn and no ex flat
hld up, rdn and msk 8th, sn bh, t.o wh p.u bf 3 out
m.a, qd appr 7th, styd on gamely under strong pressure flat
chsd wnr fr 4th, rdn and wknd appr 3 out
chsd wnr to 4th, sn wl bh, t.o wh p.u after 3 out
There is not a lot more to be said about the ability of Baracouda and he should maintain his unbeaten status on these shores without too much fuss here. It is unlikely that his jockey will give him so much to do this time around and he can motor on towards the Cheltenham Festival - possibly stopping off at Kempton next month if all goes well today. Native Emperor is the pick of the Jonjo O'Neill-trained pair and he would be the main beneficiary should any mishaps occur with Baracouda. At the age of 10 Deano's Beeno is starting to look like a shade of his former self and his inability to handle too much racing will always count against him from now on. Brother Joe looked to be a reformed character at Wetherby at the start of November, but reverted to type at Newbury last time. Whereas Young American is very hard to fancy he will do well to get within a distance of Baracouda if he runs to his BHB rating of 123.
