held up, headway approaching 3 out, soon ridden, hit 2 out, stayed on to take 2nd close home, not trouble winner
prominent, led after 8th, ridden and headed approaching 3 out, weakened quickly, eased
chased leaders, ridden after 6th, led briefly approaching 3 out, weakened flat
held up in touch, headway 8th, ridden and every chance 2 out, kept on same pace
led, headed after 8th, soon ridden, one pace
held up in touch, ridden and headway after 8th, led 3 out, stayed on well, driven clear flat
keen in rear, not fluent 2nd, mistake 4th, not fluent 8th, ridden and headway approaching 3 out, weakened approaching 2 out
This is a tougher ask than Friendly Fellow was faced with earlier in the week and he is therefore taken on with Gumley Gale, who makes plenty of appeal in the search for value today. Although Tosawi and Diamond Monroe are others that have to be respected when compiling a list of alternatives and neither will make it easy for the selection if they run anywhere near their best - while Good Outlook will have the assistance of Tony McCoy as he bids to bounce back from a below par run since he was reported to have bled from the nose in a similar race at Bangor last month. However, his tendency to run out of steam in his races is off-putting and he is passed over today. Happy Hussar also has a bit to find at this level and is one for the brave only. So, in a tricky race to fathom, it could be prudent to give Gumley Gale another chance as he is set to encounter his ideal conditions and looks very well treated off his current mark. Kevin Bishop does well with the limited resources at his disposal and the Somerset-based handler can get one over on the likes of Martin Pipe and Nicky Henderson if Gumley Gale runs anywhere near the form that has seen him victorious on three previous occasions over hurdles. Tosawi is a tough customer to deal with and he could also go well at a fair price too.
