in touch, until riddenand lost place after 5th, still well behind 3 out, stayed on approaching last, kept on into poor 3rd last strides
chased leaders, led and hit 3 out, ridden approaching next, ridden and edged left flat, soon headed, rallied near finish
chased leaders until weakened soon after 3 out
always in rear, tailed off 6th
led, headed 3 out, lost 2nd approaching 2 out, weakened flat, lost poor 3rd last strides
chased leaders until weakened soon after 3 out
mid-division, behind from 6th, tailed off
prominent to approaching 5th, soon ridden and lost place, tailed off when pulled up next
chased leaders, headway to chase leader before 2 out, led flat, driven out and held on near finish
mid-division, headway to chase leaders approaching 6th, ridden and weakened soon after 3 out
always in rear, struggling and tailed off when pulled up before 6th
held up towards rear, headway on outside 6th, weakened 3 out
Nonrunner
Although Mont Present was impressive when scoring on his UK debut at this track last time he's difficult to assess now moving into the handicap hurdle ranks so instead we turn our attentions to Dontpaytheferryman, who is un-penalised for his success last time out, while fellow last time out winner Wise Men Say also remains of interest. The pick has been slowly coming to hand this season and capped a progressed couple of starts with a comfortable success in a conditional's contest under this pilot last week. He's actually slightly better off with his jockey's claim this time and with form on this ground he should run a big race. Mont Present has some good performances in testing conditions in France and scored nicely in a novice event on his first run on these shores. That was at this track but his mark remains slightly questionable. Wise Men Say is two wins from two starts at this track including last time out. His mark rise for that run seems fair but others look better treated. South O'The Border should benefit for his pipe-opener on his last start and should be in the mix under his burden but with no penalty to carry we like Dontpaytheferryman.
South O'The Border 33-1 (10-0) Mid-division, ridden and weakened after 7th, soon tailed off, 8th of 14, well behind Mr Thriller (10-9) at Chepstow 2m 4f listed hcp hdl (1) sft in Oct.
Tullamore Dew (IRE) 20-1 (11-2) Chased leaders, ridden and hit 3 out, weakened next, 7th of 18, 14l behind Big Eared Fran (11-6) at Sandown 2m 4f Grade 3 nov hcp hdl (1) gd in Mar.
Mont Present (FR) 5-1 (10-6) Tracked leaders, led 2 out, kept on well, pushed out, won at Fontwell 2m 4f cond nov hdl 4yo+ (4) gd in Nov '08 beating Which Pocket (10-4) by 6l, 13 ran.
My Turn Now (IRE) 7-1 (11-7) Held up in last, ridden after 7th, no chance 3 out, last of 7, 35l behind Rathcor (11-5) at Towcester 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gs.
Ray Diamond 40-1 (10-0) In touch until weakened before 3 out, 8th of 9, 31l behind James De Vassy (10-4) at Chepstow 2m 4yo hcp hdl (2) gd in Oct.
King's Revenge 14-1 (10-13) In touch, chased winner 5th, mistake 3 out, nosed ahead before 2 out, soon headed, no extra flat, 3rd of 10, 4l behind Presque Perdre (10-4) at Haydock 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gd in Oct.
Alasao 20-1 (11-7) In touch, chased leader 6th, led 3 out, soon ridden, clear 2 out, readily, won at Taunton 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) hvy in Feb beating Snake Hips (10-13) by 3 1/2l, 9 ran.
Wise Men Say (IRE) 10-1 (11-2) With leader, led approaching 3 out, kept on well from last, won at Fontwell 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gs beating Bob Run (11-7) by 2 1/2l, 16 ran.
Dontpaytheferryman (USA) 4-1fav (11-7) Always prominent, led 3 out,driven out, won at Carlisle 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) sft beating Sir Kezbaah (11-2) by 4l, 8 ran.
Loco Grande (IRE) 14-1 (10-11) Held up towards rear, not fluent 3rd, ridden 5th, closed approaching 2 out, weakened before last, 6th of 11, 34l behind Harry Tricker (11-5) at Sandown 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd.
Ouste (FR) 3-1 (11-9) Held up in rear, ridden and headway approaching last, kept on, never dangerous, 4th of 6, 4l behind Professor Higgins (11-12) at Kempton 2m hcp chs 0-115 (4) gf in Oct.
Elite Land 15-2 (9-11) Tracked leaders, raced keenly, ridden and not quicken before last, weakened flat, 6th of 15, 10l behind Mutual Friend (11-9) at Cheltenham 2m cnd hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gf in Oct.
Overstrand (IRE) 14-1 (10-10) In rear, pushed along 5th, weakened after 8th, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by English City (10-3) at Market Rasen 2m 6f hcp hdl 0-140 (2) gd in Jul, 10 ran.
