mid-division, ridden 4th, tailed off from 6th
in touch, ridden and one pace when not fluent 3 out
tracked leaders and always going well, with clear leader 4 out, led on bit 3 out, clear last
tracked leader, led 3, headed after 4th, ridden and weakened 8th
in rear, tailed off 6th, pulled up before 3 out
always tailed off, pulled up before 7th
in touch, ridden and no impression from 4 out, left 2nd last
always behind
mid-division, headway 6th, ridden and weakened 8th, pulled up before 3 out
mid-division, tailed off 6th, pulled up before 4 out
in touch, ridden and weakened after 8th
tracked leaders, weakened 4 out, pulled up before 3 out
towards up, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out
led, headed 2nd, led again 5th, jumped slowly 8th, headed soon after, 4 lengths down and beaten when fell last
in touch, weakened when pulled up 2 out
tracked leaders and keen, weakened 6th
Stoop To Conquer makes his much-awaited debut over hurdles and gets the vote over Bagan, Mansion Special and Bob The Builder. This is quite a decent novices' hurdle and on in which there may well be one or two Cheltenham Festival contenders lurking among them. Trainer Tony Carroll has been waiting to unleash Stoop To Conquer for some time now, and if he is as good as recent homework indicates, then the ex-John Dunlop inmate is one to follow. Purchased for 56,000gns at the Newmarket Sales, he may well be good enough for the Royal &SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle if all goes to plan. If he is to oblige first time though, he will have to see off the challenge of Alan King's Mansion Special who has the benefit of experience, having run over both hurdles and fences in France. However, he has not been out since last June and might just be found out. Bagan and Astyanax are nothing special on the evidence so far, and nor is Field Roller, so Stoop To Conquer, who rounded off his Flat career with a win at Newbury, can start where he left off by making a winning bow over timber.
