led, rdn and hdd 6th, wknd nxt, p.u bf 2 out
chsd ldrs, rdn 6th, wknd nxt, p.u bf lst
al towards rr, bh h.w, p.u bf 2f out
hld up i.t, rdn 6th, hit nxt and wknd
towards rr, mistaken and rdn 3rd, nvr dang
hld up, rdn and hdw 3 out, k on one pace
i.t, rdn 3 out, s.o, no ch w wnr
i.t, rdn and wknd 3 out, bh and p.u bf lst
Almnadia carries top weight here courtesy of a fast ground Cheltenham win in October and a course and distance success on good to soft ground on here penultimate start. However, she looked pretty well anchored by penalties that came from those wins when well beaten - admittedly in a better class of contest - at Kempton over Christmas. The booking of A P McCoy will of course mean that her price will be short enough too and on ground which she has yet to prove she truly handles she is overlooked here. Solid Land is another likely to attract plenty of followers. The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding performed creditably in her native France before falling when well held at Warwick on her only start on these shores. Given a month to come on for that she is entitled to improve considerably here, and as she has raced only on this sort of surface before the conditions will certainly not be against her. With the yard in form she can take advantage of the 12lbs she gets from Almnadia and break her duck here. Burgundy Lace is another who gives the impression there is a fair bit more to come. A heavy ground flat winner in France, she had every chance until just failing to get home first time out at Kempton. With that experience to call upon she can be involved in the shake-up and could give the selection most to do. Jawwala will appreciate the conditions and shaped with some promise on her second outing over hurdles at Folkestone last week. Expect her to step up on that form once again here, though she may still only be good enough to claim a place. Of the remainder, debutante Avitta makes some appeal, though as a stayer on the level, she may well need further than this over hurdles to see her at her best, while fellow first-timer Jungle Rumbler also looks interesting from a yard in form, though she has to prove that she can handle cut and is probably best watched for now.
