led, headed before 3 out, soon ridden and one pace, weakening when mistake next, tailed off
tracked leaders, ridden 3 out, stayed on under pressure to go 2nd approaching 2 out, soon no chance with winner, kept on
in touch when fell 7th
tracked leader, driven and lost place after 5 out, ridden next, kept on under pressure from 3 out, no impression
chased leaders, pushed along after 9th, ridden next, soon behind, tailed off 4 out
hit 1st, soon behind, mistake 4th, hit 10th, outpaced 5 out, beaten when mistake next, never on terms
held up behind in touch, blundered 8th, mistake and reminder next, hit 11th, blundered 13th, headway on outside after 5 out, came stands side and went 2nd before next, led before 3 out, soon clear, stayed on well
held up behind in touch, blundered 6th, took closer order under pressure 9th, lost place 12th, pulled up before next
Flat, left-handed tracks are exactly what WOGAN needs and providing conditions aren't overly testing he's taken to make a winning return to action. Nicky Henderson's 10-year-old has been hard to train but rewarded his trainer's faith with a pair of Doncaster handicap wins last term before failing to reward favourite backers at Aintree. That day jumping errors cost him so it's a credit to the horse that he still managed fourth and he can make the most of the assessor's decision to drop him 2lbs. Rory Boy is closely matched with Gringo, who runs in the 13:15, so his chance will become clearer with that race's result but a run at Cheltenham should've done him good regardless. However, the biggest threat may be King Fontaine who got home well when stepped up to this trip last time. He'll need to jump better but clearly has an engine, comments which also apply to Etxalar who may be flattered slightly by his return run at Carlisle. Nevada Royale is a fascinating contender on his return, having looked potentially top-notch when representing Paul Nicholls in 2008.
Nevada Royale (FR) 8-13fav (10-12) Jumped well, made all, in command from 3 out, comfortably, won at Exeter 3m nov chs (3) hvy in Nov '08 beating Spare Cash (10-12) by 12l, 8 ran.
Dance Island (IRE) 16-1 (11-8) Mid-division, chased leaders under pressure after 4 out, weakened 2 out, 8th of 13, 43l behind The Shy Man (10-11) at Aintree 3m hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gs in Oct.
Palypso De Creek (FR) 66-1 (10-6) Mid-division, weakened 24th (canal turn), behind when fell 27th, in a race won by Don't Push It (11-5) at Aintree 4m 4f hcp chs G3 (1) gd in Apr, 40 ran.
Wogan 5-1fav (11-0) In touch on outer, good headway to lead 7th, headed 9th, led again 10th, hit 13th, not fluent and headed 14th, ridden and weakened approaching 3 out, 4th of 16, 14l behind From Dawn To Dusk (11-0) at Aintree 3m 1f lstd hcp chs (1) gd in Apr.
Rory Boy (USA) 8-1 (10-10) Towards rear, headway 11th, chased leaders 4 out, weakened after next, 6th of 17, 11l behind Edgbriar (10-13) at Cheltenham 2m 4f hcp chs 0-150 (2) gd in Oct.
Etxalar (FR) 9-1 (10-10) Held up mid-division, mistake 2nd, mistake 10th, ridden and headway approaching 2 out, led and hung right flat, kept on well, won at Carlisle 3m 2f hcp chs 0-135 (3) sft in Oct beating Minster Shadow (10-9) by 2l, 15 ran.
King Fontaine (IRE) 11-2 (11-2) Held in rear, hit 2nd, hit 13th, headway after 3 out, challenged and upsides last, ridden flat, kept on gamely to lead towards finish, won at Haydock 3m hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs beating Maktu (11-7) by hd, 8 ran.
Carrickmines (IRE) 28-1 (10-0) Held up inrear, headway 15th, chased leaders next, under pressure 17th, gradually weakened, 8th of 14, 42l behind Meanus Dandy (9-11) at Wincanton 3m 1f listed hcp chs (1) gd.
