held up towards rear, reminder 5th, hit 5 out, outpaced next, beaten when left 3rd last
held up towards rear, mistake 2nd, pushed along 7th, soon weakened, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
held up in touch, headway 7th, every chance 4 out, challenged before next, 3 lengths down and held when fell last
led, mistake and headed 6th, weakened 5 out
tracked leaders, mistake 5 out, outpaced 3 out, left 2nd last, no chance
tracked leader, led 6th, ridden approaching 2 out, left clear last
A weak event and Joe Cullen is handed the vote to open his account over fences at the chief expense of Sunday Rain and Little Task. The Ian Williams-trained gelding is by far the best of these over hurdles and looks to have a bright future over the larger obstacles after finishing a creditable second behind a useful yardstick on his chasing bow at Market Rasen last month. The form has been franked since and this looks a straightforward opportunity for this former useful ex-Irish hurdler. Sunday Rain has plenty to find with the selection on hurdling form and has shown little on two starts over fences to suggest he can cause an upset while Little Task carries a 6lb penalty for a recent course and distance success but the form amounts to little and he looks thoroughly exposed so Joe Cullen should take the beating with a clear round.
