mid division, headway 9th, in force when blundered and unseated rider 5 out
chased leader, led 8th, hit 5 out, headed next, ridden approaching 3 out, soon weakened
chased leaders until lost place 3rd, reminders 8th, never dangerous
mid division, driven along approaching 9th, never dangerous after
led headed 8th, chased leader, ridden approaching 2 out, soon weakened
mid division, steady headway from 9th, hit 10th, went 2nd, 3 out, soon ridden, one paced
always behind, pulled up after 9th
chased leaders, ridden and weakened from 3 out
always behind, blundered 3 out
held up behind, headway approaching 3 out, ridden and kept on from 2 out, no impression
soon chasing leaders, led 4 out, clear from 2 out, ridden out flat
Extra Proud can benefit from his return to land a competitive handicap chase at the expense of the likes of Strongtrooper, Soundtrack and Dragon King. The Willie Amos-trained nine-year-old has only turned up at Market Rasen once before, in April 2002 when nearly managing to defy a long absence in finishing second over hurdles to Turaath, giving weight to his more fancied opponent. Since then his attention has been switched successfully to the bigger obstacles, with two wins to his credit, and as we know that he goes well fresh, an improvement on his Kelso return can be expected. Still reasonably handicapped, he is taken to stop Strongtrooper from following up his recent course and distance victory. Oliver Sherwood's charge is making up for lost time after suffering a cracked pelvis, and will go well despite a rise in the weights. Soundtrack has been a bit disappointing after displaying a good deal of promise earlier in his career but has the ability, while Dragon King comes from a stable ticking over nicely, is a course winner and has been placed a few times lately. It is not hard to see him figuring in the finish, but Extra Proud, who was fancied last time, can make amends here.
