never going well, always in rear, tailed off
settled in mid-divsion, steady headway to track leaders from 16th, chased leaders 2 out, one pace and no impression before last
close up, pushed along approaching 4 out, weakened next
prominent, led 5th to 9th, stayed prominent, led 3 out, headed last, hard driven and same pace flat
mistakes in rear division, blundered12th, pulled up before 15th
tracked leaders, steadily lost place from 14th, tailed off when blundered 4 out
keen, held up well in rear, steady headway from 17th, challenged 2 out, led last, stayed on well under pressure flat
rear division, struggling after 16th, soon tailed off
rear division, struggling 14th, tailed off and pulled up before 16th
prominent, led 12th, headed 3 out, stayed challenging until mistake 2 out and weakened
in touch, pushed along and close up 4 out, weakened after 3 out
always rear, tailed off 11th
in touch until weakened 4 out
led to 5th, stayed prominent, led 9th to 12th, weakened 4 out
In what is a very good line-up for this famous race, Royal Auclair gets the call over First Gold, Puntal, Nil Desperandum and Celestial Gold. The Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton has often been a good race for identifying horses that go well in the Hennessy. Royal Auclair took that race this year in good style, with Gunther McBride (now two pounds better off at the weights) beaten two lengths into second, and Swansea Bay (who had won the previous two runnings of the Badger), beaten 30 lengths into sixth, although he is now 13 pounds better off at today's weights. A corrective breathing operation was the reason given for the the improvement shown by the selection and, although he is running off a five-pound higher mark today, the seven-year-old can go well in bidding to give trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh back-to-back wins in this contest. The 2000 King George VI Chase winner, First Gold, who showed last season that he still retains plenty of ability, Puntal, who followed up a bold effort in the Grand National by beating Royal Auclair by a short head in a thrilling Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown - and is now four pounds better off at the weights, high-class second-season Irish chaser, Nil Desperandum, and Celestial Gold who, on only his sixth outing, landed the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham last time, have all to be afforded the utmost respect. Of the others, Ollie Magern is now six pounds better off for the nine-and-a-quarter lengths he finished behind Celestial Gold in the Paddy Power, the 2002 National Hunt Chase winner, Frenchmans Creek, who had been absent before running fairly well behind Best Mate at Exeter last time, Howard Johnson's exciting prospect Lord Transcend, although he has been off for a year, and Gunther McBride, who was sixth in this race two years ago from a four-pound higher mark, will all attract their supporters but, for today, we will side with Royal Auclair.
