made all, pushed clear approaching last, eased towards finish
held up in touch, mistake 4th, dropped rear 7th, blundered 11th, soon lost touch
tracked winner, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened approaching last
held up in touch, mistake 12th, headway 4 out, effort next, outpaced approaching last
held up in touch, struggling from 13th, soon outpaced, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
Divet Hill has enjoyed a tremendous year, winning five times over either fences or hurdles, but he may just be going over the top after a long campaign, and he does have to shoulder top weight in this handicap. Nosam showed a marked improvement on recent efforts when second to Peccadillo at Uttoxeter last time. He is another one who has had plenty of racing and his recent inconsistencies mean that he is far from certain to reproduce his running here. Young Tomo is another with ability, but his jumping lets him down too often, and so the TEAMtalk vote here goes to old man Supreme Soviet. Despite the fact that he is 3lbs out of the handicap, the 12-year-old's jockey negates that with his claim. Alistair Whillans' gelding stays every yard of this trip, goes on the ground and has had a break since disappointing last time. Receiving almost two stone from Divet Hill, he can score here.
