held up, not fluent 2nd, headway 4th, chased winner 12th, ridden when not fluent 3 out (water), edged left approaching last, one pace
led until after 2nd, pressed leader, led 8th, ridden after 3 out, stayed on well
led after 2nd, not fluent 7th, headed next, weakened 4 out
in touch, not fluent 10th, soon pushed along, went 3rd 4 out, no impression
in rear, ridden after 6th, effort 11th, weakening when not fluent next, tailed off
prominent, jumped slowly 4th, outpaced from 12th
not fluent and lost touch 7th (water), tailed off when fell 10th
CLASSIC SWAIN made a good seasonal bow and gets the vote in this race ahead of Horseshoe Reef and Remember Bampi. Paul Nicholls has an impressive 35% strike rate at this course and with Classic Swain he stands a decent chance of adding another victory to his name. The selection was really unlucky not to win last time out as he lost by just a head after Tony McCoy made an incredibly rare error and dropped the whip at Stratford. There should be plenty more to come from this horse and we like the look of him today. Horseshoe Reef has put in consistent runs lately and although not scoring for more than two years it may not be long before this gelding returns to winning ways. Remember Bampi has improved in each of his three starts and has a victory to his name in points. This horse should progress again today and is worth consideration. However, our selection is Classic Swain to show progressive development and grab the win.
Classic Swain (USA) 8-15fav (10-12) Not always fluent, pressed leader, jumped left, bumped and rider lost whip 2nd, left in lead 2 out, headed last, stayed on, 2nd of 3, hd behind Baily Storm (10-12) at Stratford 2m 4f nov chs (3) gd in May.
Gee Dee Nen 4-1fav (11-5) Raced wide, in touch, hit 8th, weakened from next, well beaten before 3 out, mistake next, tailed off, 4th of 9, 43l behind Preuty Boy (10-13) at Plumpton 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gs in Feb.
Horseshoe Reef (AUS) 18-1 (11-0) Bumped 1st, prominent, led 5th, headed 13th, led next, ridden approaching last, headed flat, stayed on, 3rd of 12, 1l behind Mont Present (11-0) at Worcester 2m 7f beg chase (4) gd in May.
Moment Present (FR) 28-1 (11-6) Mid-division, mistakes 4th and 5th, soon towards rear, tailed off, 16th of 18, well behind Astracad (10-7) at Aintree 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd in May.
Remember Bampi 4-1 (10-10) In touch, ridden along 6th, driven and stayed on after 3 out, went 2nd flat, no chance with winner, 2nd of 9, 9l behind Foreign King (11-7) at Exeter 2m 1f hcp chs 0-100 (4) gf in May.
Smart Dwellie 40-1 (11-0) Jumped right, chased winner, blundered and lost modest 2nd 14th, weakened, soon after, tailed off, 5th of 7, well behind Baddam (11-0) at Worcester 2m 7f beg chase (4) gf in May.
Sullivan's Cascade (IRE) 100-1 (11-0) Tracked leaders, ridden and lost place 10th, soon behind, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Shooters Wood (11-0) at Cheltenham 2m hts chs (5) gd in May, 17 ran.
