held up in touch in mid-division, not fluent 7th, pushed along after next, outpaced 9th, well behind after 4 out, stayed on approaching last, soon went 4th, no chance with leaders
held up on outside, not fluent 4th, headway before 9th, weakened 2 out
prominent, took keen hold, jumped left and not fluent 4th, hit 8th, mistake next, mistake 3 out, weakened and pulled up before next
held up, took keen hold, closed when not fluent 3rd, chased winner when not fluent 3 out or 2 out, well held before last, one pace
prominent, led 3rd, not fluent 2 out, clear approaching last, stayed on well, easily
led until 3rd, prominent, weakened after 9th
not always fluent, prominent early, tracked leaders, weakened before 9th, soon pulled up
held up, not fluent and slipped 6th, closed 9th, outpaced before 3 out, soon well beaten
held up, pushed along approaching 7th, headway 9th, soon lost place, well beaten before 3 out, pulled up before next
held up in rear, not much room when not fluent 9th, headway after 4 out, not fluent 3 out, 3rd and well held by winner when mistake last, one pace
A cracking start to proceedings with some up-and-coming novices giving weight to three very useful chasers having a prep race over hurdles. Monbeg Dude won last season's Welsh National and Hold On Julio also had useful form over the larger obstacles in handicaps but AERIAL gets the nod. Paul Nicholls' charge has never won over this trip but was second in a Grade 2 novice hurdle over 3m here last December and is worth another chance to prove he stays. Kilbree Kid completed his hat-trick over 3m1f at Perth last month while there should be more to come from recent winners Oscar Magic, Creepy and Kings Palace. The latter looked a really nice prospect at Fontwell and is preferred to last month's Navan winner Minella Fiveo.
Kilbree Kid (IRE) 11-8fav (11-12) Tracked leaders in 3rd, led 2 out, ridden and pressed last, held on well towards finish, won at Perth 3m nh nov hdl (4) gs in Sep beating Ocean Club (11-5) by 2 3/4l, 5 ran.
Minella Fiveo (IRE) 9-10fav (11-12) Tracked leaders, led after 4 out, slight stumble on landing 2 out, travelling well and asserted from before last, ridden clear run-in, comfortably, won at Navan 2m 4f mdn hdl gf in Sep beating Inishturk Lad (11-12) by 6l, 16 ran.
Oscar Magic (IRE) Evens0fav (11-5) Made all, not always fluent, jumped left at times, ridden after 3 out, edged right off bend before 2 out, stayed on, won at Newton Abbot 2m 3f nov hdl (4) gs in Sep beating Quite By Chance (10-11) by 3l, 5 ran.
Creepy (IRE) 10-11fav (11-0) Made virtually all, edged right on path after 4th, pecked last, ran on well, comfortably, won at Chepstow 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) gd beating Splash of Ginge (11-0) by 2 1/4l, 14 ran.
Kings Palace (IRE) 15-8 (10-13) Made all, ridden and edged right run-in, kept on under pressure towards finish, won at Fontwell 2m 6f mdn hdl (4) gd beating Kaki De La Pree (10-13) by 1l, 11 ran.
Neltara 7-1 (11-3) With leader, hit 7th, left in lead 4 out, clear after 3 out, headed 2 out, ridden before last, one pace, 2nd of 4, 5l behind Utopie Des Bordes (10-13) at Perth 3m nov hdl (2) gs in Apr.
Vinnie The Fish (IRE) 9-2 (11-0) Led until before 2nd, prominent, went 2nd 9th, led next, clear 2 out, easily, won at Southwell 3m mdn hdl (5) gd in Sep beating Electric Tiger (11-0) by 18l, 9 ran.
Aerial (FR) 7-4fav (10-12) Tracked leader, took keen hold, not fluent 10th, ridden and lost 2nd when not fluent 3 out, soon hung right and beaten, last of 6, 20l behind Superior Quality (11-4) at Musselburgh 3m nov hdl (3) gs in Feb.
Hold On Julio (IRE) 10-1 (11-8) Always towards rear, never involved, 12th of 19, well behind Quentin Collonges (10-12) at Sandown 3m 5f hcp chs G3 (1) gd in Apr.
Monbeg Dude (IRE) 40-1 (11-10) Held up in last pair, not fluent 13th, struggling 15th, weakened 4 out, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Bobs Worth (11-10) at Cheltenham 3m 2f chs G1 (1) sft in Mar, 9 ran.
