held up in 5th, blundered and in rear 10th, left modest 5th 4 out, stayed on to 3rd before 2 out, no chance when ballooned last
led until 2nd, pressed winner, challenged 6th, not fluent next, hit 10th, lost 2nd next, weakened 12th, left modest 3rd 4 out, hampered and dropped to 4th soon after, weakened, tailed off
held up last, mistake 9th, headway 11th, went 3rd next, travelling ok and close enough when blundered and unseated rider 4 out
chased leading pair, went 2nd 11th, pushed along after 3 out, held when blundered 2 out, no extra soon after
jumped well, led 2nd, made rest, in command 3 out, stayed on well
raced wide, mistake and stumbled badly 1st, close up, not fluent 4th, ridden and chased leaders 10th, mistake and ridden next, outpaced 12th, left modest 4th 4 out, went 3rd soon after until before 3 out
Martin Keighley has always thought a lot of Rodrigo Gonzales and he may now do better over fences after a pipe-opener and the application of headgear, so watch the market for clues, but preference is for SHAKALAKABOOMBOOM. Nicky Henderson's six-year-old made a reasonable debut over fences at Warwick, acts on good ground and looks nicely treated for this handicap debut over a longer trip that should suit ideally. Bangor winner Royal Kicks is not to be underestimated under a nice racing weight on going that suits. However, a bigger danger looks to be Just Smudge, who was a winner last time when the yard was not in red-hot form and that success may be better than it first appeared, though tempering that, he does now have another 9lb to find.
Just Smudge 8-1 (11-4) Tracked leaders, left 2nd 9th, ridden 2 out, led between last 2, 2 lengths clear when jumped right last, stayed on well flat, won at Aintree 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in Oct beating Its Crucial (11-0) by 7l, 9 ran.
Rodrigo Gonzales (IRE) 33-1 (10-5) Chased leaders, dropped to mid-division 4th, outpaced 3 out, soon weakened, 6th of 9, well behind Working Title (11-3) at Kempton 2m 5f hcp hdl (2) gd.
Sonning Star (IRE) 13-2 (11-1) Chased leader, led approaching 4 out, not fluent next, headed last, no extra flat, 2nd of 5, 11l behind William's Wishes (11-7) at Leicester 2m nov chs (3) gd.
Calusa Caldera (IRE) 8-1 (11-3) Held up in rear, stayed on approaching 2 out, never troubled leaders, 5th of 11, 10l behind Nudge And Nurdle (10-8) at Sandown 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in Nov '09.
Shakalakaboomboom (IRE) 7-1 (11-1) Raced wide, tracked leaders, 3rd from 7th, close up when hit 3 out and soon pushed along, stayed on same pace from next, 3rd of 7, 5l behind Darby's Turn (11-1) at Warwick 2m nov chs (3) gd.
Royal Kicks (FR) 8-1 (10-9) Close up on outside, driven 4 out, lost place next, soon weakened, 12th of 18, 42l behind Quattrocento (11-0) at Cheltenham 3m am hcp chs 0-125 (3) gd in Oct.
