raced keen, led, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, soon no extra
chased leaders, blundered 4 out, soon ridden and weakened, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out
raced wide in touch, headway and effort 3 out, no extra from next
tracked leader, led approaching 2 out comfortably
held up in rear, weakened halfway, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out
held up in mid-division, pushed along 4 out, soon ridden and no impression
towards rear, never dangerous
Inglewood is the selection in the first to account for Culcabock and Acceleration, with newcomer Southern Star worth a mention. Inglewood already has a win to his name, courtesy of a 16-length success at Bangor in August. That does not tell the whole story however, as he was booked for second place until Downtherefordancin came down at the last. The latter has continued to perform with credit, so even if he had only finished second then, Chris Thornton's charge would still be the one to beat on that form. After a lengthy break, he returned with a spin on the Flat at Wolverhampton, and then took on better company here in the race won by Paddy The Piper. He shaped well until fading three out, and should now be fit enough to contend with the longer trip in testing conditions today. Culcabock seemed to go backwards rather than forwards after scoring on the level in Ireland as a two-year-old, but Peter Monteith managed to coax a win out of him over hurdles at Ayr in November. He disappointed badly at Musselburgh a month ago and is hard to fancy on that form. Acceleration was a fairly modest stayer on the level, although he did pick up a win at Carlisle, suggesting he has plenty of stamina. This appeared to be evident in the way that he ran on when fifth here last time. He should appreciate the conditions, while Southern Star, placed in soft ground from two outings in Germany is worth noting if the market speaks in his favour. Overall though, Inglewood boasts the best claims and gets the vote.
