held up towards rear, ridden and lost place halfway, headway 5f out, challenged 3f out, led over 2f out, swished tail and wandered final furlong, soon clear, comfortably
held up in touch, effort 4f out, stayed on one pace 2f out
held up towards rear, pushed along 5f out, some moderate late headway 2f out, never on terms
reminder soon after start and prominent, ridden halfway, weakened over 5f out
led, headed 4f out, soon ridden, weakened over 2f out
held up, headway halfway, ridden 5f out, led 4f out, headed over 2f out, soon beaten
held up, ridden halfway, soon lost touch
Winning bumpers under penalties is never easy so Market Rasen winner Direction and Towcester scorer Shady Anne (already beaten since) may struggle to give weight away all round. Champagne Harry, a son of Sir Harry Lewis, is an interesting newcomer from the Nigel Twiston-Davies stable that does so well with its runners in this company, while Graham Thorner's Percipient is bred to be useful being by Pennekamp. The TEAMtalk selection though has to be Provence Dreamer. Jonjo O'Neill's gelding ran a race full of promise on his debut when chasing home Joyeuse on his debut at Market Rasen earlier this month and, while that may not have been the strongest of races, it is the best form on offer and he really should be good enough to win this.
