jumped well, led 11th, shaken up from 3 out, kept on well
tracked leader, ridden 11th, hit 4 out, soon no chance with winner
tracked leader, mistake 5th, soon behind, pulled up before 10th
led, headed 11th, soon ridden, beaten when hit 3 out
tracked leader, ridden approaching 10th, kept on from 3 out
held up in touch, ridden 11th, soon beaten
This is maybe not as competitive an event as it appears at first glance and should go to Lord Jack. The Nicky Richards-trained gelding has made steady progress since being switched to fences this season, displaying his best form to-date when beating Supreme Fortune by one-and-a-half lengths under testing conditions at Sedgefield on Boxing Day. Admittedly the winner had to be hard driven to oblige there but, with more improvement to come, the son of Mister Lord should be good enough to follow up off just a 3lb higher mark. Len Lungo's The Rile probably did not beat much when making a winning chase debut here over the extended 2m5f trip on his most recent start but looks to have been given his fair share of weight by the handicapper. Buck's Palace is back to a winning mark and cannot be dismissed lightly although his recent form has been disappointing. Lauderdale has been raised a further 2lbs for his second to Poly Amanshaa over two miles last month and may not appreciate the step up in trip either. Gayles And Showers has a poor strike-rate and cannot be backed with any confidence, while San Francisco does not look good enough despite weight and ground conditions being in his favour.
