chased leader, left in lead 4th, ridden approaching 2 out, hit last, soon headed, one pace
held up, struggling from 6th
held up towards rear, outpaced from 3 out, never dangerous after
led, headed 3rd, weakened from 3 out, pulled up before next
held up, hit 5th, weakened from 3 out, tailed off from next
in touch, lost place from 6th, behind when pulled up after 3 out
tracked leaders, hit 6th, ridden approaching 2 out, one pace
chased leaders, ridden and weakened approaching 2 out
held up in rear, headway approaching 7th, ridden next, one pace
held up in touch, headway and raced wide approaching 2 out, ridden after 2 out, led after last, kept on well
Liberman has been in decent form and can make the most of the weight that he receives from the likes of Monolith, Hidden Bounty and Patriarch Express, to name but three. Some interesting contenders line up for the day's feature race at the Lincolnshire track, none more so than Liberman, the selected of an original Pipe entry of four. Successful in the 2003 Cheltenham Bumper, the sky appeared the limit for the son of Standiford, but he failed to sparkle when sent over timber and ended up back in Ireland. That move seemed to rekindle some of his enthusiasm, and after picking up a couple of wins, he returned to Martin Pipe last year. His jumping problems surfaced again at Bangor, but he came good again here at Market Rasen in September, when the step up in trip helped him to overcome some none too fluent leaps. Timmy Murphy got the best out of him that day, and it is encouraging to see him in the plate again, as they bid to defy a small rise in the weights. Monolith was quietly fancied for the Cesarewitch but finished down the field and was sent timber-topping at Wetherby afterwards. He finished third behind Patriarch Express but was well held, and even though slightly better off here, it is hard to see him turning the tables on Sue Smith's new intake who will pay to follow when sent over fences. Hidden Bounty and My Line represent Keith Reveley and it is the former that makes most appeal, but he is going to need this first run since being pulled up in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham in March. Most of these will win races this winter, but with fitness assured, Liberman makes most appeal on this occasion at least.
