behind, mistake and hampered 2nd, lost touch from 7th, tailed off
led until tried to run out after 5th, led again 9th, headed 5 out, ridden 3 out, soon beaten
chased leader, mistake 1st, blundered and unseated rider next
tracked leader, left in lead after 5th, headed 9th, led again 5 out, clear 2 out, ran on well flat
in touch until ridden and weakened after 8th
Hand Inn Hand made a promising chasing debut at Chepstow last month and looks capable of building on that experience in this small field. He finished just nine lengths third to One Knight in the Grade 2 Rising Stars Novices' Chase on soft ground over course and distance last month, just running out of speed after the third-last fence. He is relatively unexposed, but built up some good form over hurdles, and is fitter than all but Flahive's First. That Dai Burchell-trained eight-year-old boasts plenty of chasing experience compared to these four rivals. However, he has looked decidedly out of form since taking back-to-back wins at Cartmel in August. He is conceding weight all around, although his jockey claims a useful 7lb off the 11st 10lb top-weight, but his stablemates have been out of luck of late, and one can't see this eight-year-old reversing the trend at the moment. If Dungarvans Choice had at least one chase under his belt he would have been our choice. Last season, he notched up solid hurdles victories at Sandown and Huntingdon before finishing 30 lengths behind Like-A-Butterfly at the Cheltenham Festival. His trainer has a 23% strike rate in novice races this season, and there have been plenty of winners coming from Nicky Henderson's yard lately. The ground should suit and he's definitely worth a look. Rudi Knight has good hurdling form to his credit and has been placed on heavy ground. Venetia Williams has a 28% strike rate with novices so far in this campaign, and is enjoying a real purple patch at the moment. It remains to be seen how he will cope with his first start over fences and his return from a 217-day absence. Georgic Blaze has more letters to his name than numbers and is best left alone.
