tracked leader, left in lead 14th, kept narrow advantage until joined 2 out, edged left under pressure flat, not quicken and headed final 100 yards
tracked leaders, mistake 4th, blundered 7th, left in lead approaching 9th, one length ahead when blundered and fell 14th
in touch, mistake 3rd, reminder 10th, left 2nd and slightly hampered 14th, challenged and not fluent 2 out, stayed on to lead final 100 yards
raced keenly, jumped left, made most until jumped badly left 9th, pulled up and dismounted
Boring Goring gets the vote here ahead of Paddy's Thyme and El En Em Flyer. The selection performed with credit last time on his seasonal return over today's course and distance when second to Tudor King, despite not jumping fluently. That factor is the downside to his chance but, having won over hurdles from a mark of 82, there is no doubting his chance off a mark of 80 here and with his rider taking five pounds off his back, he can score here. En El Em Flyer makes his chasing debut in this contest but showed some promise over hurdles, while Paddy's Thyne has so far failed to complete in two chases and has not raced for 237 days. Despite being bred for chasing, his overall form is decidedly modest and, unless Brendan Powell has conjured up some magic with him, he is worth opposing in the hope that Boring Goring stays on his feet. If he does, he holds a very good chance of scoring in this contest. The other runner, Captain Jake, has shown little in the way of form to date.
