held up mid-division, headway approaching 3 out, soon ridden, went 2nd approaching last, kept on
mid-division, blundered 4th, weakened after next, pulled up before 3 out
led, hit 4th, ridden after next, headed approaching 3 out, weakened
mid-division, headway after 5th, ridden and close 4th 2 out, kept on same pace
always towards rear
mid-division until weakened 3 out
chased leader, ridden and every chance approaching 3 out, weakened after 2 out
mid-division, effort approaching 3 out, kept on same pace
chased leaders, ridden and every chance approaching 3 out, soon weakened
mid-division, ridden approaching 3 out, stayed on from 2 out
mid-division until weakened after 5th
always towards rear
mid-division, effort after 3 out, weakened after next
held up towards rear, ridden after 5th, kept on same pace from 3 out
chased leaders, led approaching 3 out, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, weakened
hit 1st, always in rear, pulled up before 3 out
mid-division, ridden and headway approaching 3 out, stayed on, never able to mount a challenge
chased leaders, mistake 4th, ridden approaching 3 out, stayed on, went 3rd flat
held up towards rear, headway approaching 3 out, soon ridden, one pace from 2 out
always towards rear
mid-division, hit 3 out, soon ridden, kept on same pace
in touch, headway approaching 3 out, led approaching 2 out, kept on gamely, driven out
chased leaders, ridden and every chance 2 out, kept on same pace from last
No prizes for originality but Five Dream looks the part and is preferred to Palomar and Whispered Promises. His two latest performances have been a far cry from his first two runs on these shores but he now looks to be a horse with immense potential and he's well in at the weights. He's proven handicap form under similar conditions and it's hard to fault his chances. Palomar has shot up in the weights but given that he was a hundred rated horse on the Flat there's a fair chance that he could still be ahead of the handicapper now that connections have found the key to him. Whispered Promises is 5lbs better off with Five Dream for around a length on their running at Sandown. That was the Pipe runner's first outing since April but he's likely to have been straight enough for his reappearance so it's questionable how much improvement there is to come. However, he's weighted to reverse the placings so has to appeal at the prices. Roman Villa and Blue Bajan are others that will attract support but Wingman and Jayo also make plenty of each-way appeal. Jayo burst a blood vessel on his penultimate start but ran a pleasing race in the Pierse Hurdle when ridden by an amateur whilst Wingman looks to be on the upgrade still and it would be no surprise to see his shrewd trainer eke a few more pounds of improvement from him. However, we'll stick with Five Dream.
Punjabi 11-2 (11-7) Held up, hit 3 out, went 4th 2 out, never troubled leaders, 4th of 6, 19l behind Straw Bear (11-7) at Kempton 2m hdl Grd 1 (1) gs in Dec.
Mephisto (IRE) 28-1 (11-7) Held up, headway to dispute lead 4th, blundered next, every chance 3 out, weakened next, 5th of 8, 22l behind Harchibald (11-7) at Newcastle 2m hdl Grd 1 (1) gs in Dec.
Whispered Promises (USA) 5-1 (11-12) Led, ridden after 3 out, headed approaching last, kept on gamely, 3rd of 14, 1 1/2l behind Five Dream (10-12) at Cheltenham 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-145 (2) gs in Jan.
Pigeon Island 14-1 (11-6) Mid-division driven along approaching 2 out, plugged on one pace soon after, 5th of 17, 8l behind Jack The Giant (11-0) at Ascot 2m lst hcp hdl (1) gf in Dec.
Kings Quay 16-1 (11-4) In touch, ridden after 7th, weakened after 3 out, tailed off, 6th of 8, well behind Hardy Eustace (11-8) at Ascot 2m 3f hdl Grd 2 (1) gd in Nov.
Caracciola (GER) 16-1 (11-4) Always towards rear, 15th of 17, well behind Kings Quay (10-9) at Market Rasen 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-145 (2) sft in Jul.
Streets Of Gold (IRE) 8-1 (10-4) Always prominent, 4th halfway, 3rd 3 out, challenging when bumped 2 out, soon led, edged left, kept on well under pressure, all out, 2nd of 16, 1/2l behind.
Jayo (FR) 20-1 (10-2) Towards rear, 20th halfway, kept on without threatening from 2 out, 5th of 28, 9l behind Barker (10-6) at Leopardstown 2m hcp hdl 0-145 hvy in Jan.
Doctor David 40-1 (11-8) Led, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, soon weakened, 9th of 13, 36l behind Five Dream (10-6) at Sandown 2m hcp hdl 0-140 (2) sft in Jan.
Missis Potts 10-11fav (10-5) Prominent, tracked leader 5th, led after 2 out, ridden out, won at Hereford 2m nov chs (3) sft in Jan beating Battlecry (11-4) by 2l, 6 ran.
Fleet Street 6-1 (11-12) Chased leader until blundered badly 9th, no chance after, 3rd of 6, 18l behind Pur De Sivola (10-13) at Wincanton 2m nov hcp chs (2) gs in Jan.
Palomar (USA) 3-1fav (9-13) Held up in rear, smooth headway on bit after 3 out, upsides 2 out, soon led, forged clear, very easily, won at Kempton 2m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) gs in Dec beating French Opera (11-5) by 6l, 13 ran.
King's Revenge 33-1 (11-3) In touch, ridden and lost place after 5th, driven after 3 out, stayed on approaching next, went 3rd soon after last , no impression, 3rd of 17, 7l behind Jack The Giant (11-0) at Ascot 2m lst hcp hdl (1) gf in Dec.
Victram (IRE) 16-1 (10-12) Behind, headway under pressure approaching 2 out, stayed on, 6th of 17, 9l behind Jack The Giant (11-0) at Ascot 2m lst hcp hdl (1) gf in Dec.
Platin Grounds (GER) 7-1 (11-8) Held up, ridden and headway after 2 out, stayed on after last, 4th of 12, 8l behind Calgary Bay (11-0) at Cheltenham 2m 1f nh nov hdl (2) gd in Dec.
Roman Villa (USA) 9-1 (10-5) In rear, headway 4 out, ridden in moderate 3rd entering straight, no extra and dropped to 4th from last, 4th of 28, 6l behind Barker (10-6) at Leopardstown 2m hcp hdl 0-145 hvy in Jan.
Five Dream (FR) 3-1fav (10-12) Held up towards rear, smooth headway after 2 out, led approaching last, driven out, won at Cheltenham 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-145 (2) gs in Jan beating Mohayer (10-9) by 1l, 14 ran.
County Zen (FR) 11-10fav (11-8) Tracked leader, hit 4th, led approaching 2 out, headed last, rallied gamely under pressure flat to regain lead last stride, won at Sandown 2m nh nov hdl (3) hvy in Dec beating Evelith Echo (11-5) by a shd, 8 ran.
Blue Bajan (IRE) 8-13fav (11-5) Mid-division, headway 4 out, went 2nd next, led last, ridden and kept on well flat, won at Doncaster 2m nov hdl (4) gs in Jan beating Akarem (11-5) by 3l, 18 ran.
Dancer's Serenade (IRE) 7-2 (11-5) Held up, smooth headway 3 out, led 2 out, soon clear, eased near finish, won at Kempton 2m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) sft in Jan beating Sebastiano (11-7) by 6l, 7 ran.
Pace Shot (IRE) 20-1 (10-11) Held up in rear, no chance when hit 3 out, 12th of 13, 34l behind Ring The Boss (10-0) at Sandown 2m lst hcp hdl (1) hvy in Dec.
Gabier 15-2 (10-7) Mid-division, headway 7th, effort after 3 out, weakened, eased when beaten, last of 9, well behind Nycteos (10-10) at Kempton 2m 5f hcp hdl (2) sft in Jan.
Wingman (IRE) 9-2 (10-2) Chased leaders, effort approaching 2 out, driven soon after, no impression, 3rd of 13, 8l behind Ring The Boss (10-0) at Sandown 2m lst hcp hdl (1) hvy in Dec.
Mohayer (IRE) 11-1 (10-9) Chased leaders, ridden approaching 2 out, stayed on well from last, went 2nd towards finish, 2nd of 14, 1l behind Five Dream (10-12) at Cheltenham 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-145 (2) gs in Jan.
