held up rear, head way 8th, ridden 3 out, no impression
held up rear, steady headway 9th, ridden to lead 2 out, clear when jumped right, last ridden out
track leader, led 5th, ridden and headed after 3 out, weakened
led, headed approaching 5th, ridden and weakened 9th
mid-division, ridden and weakened 4 out, pulled up 2 out
held up in touch, mistake 6th, headway to track leader 9th, ridden and weakened after 3 out, bbv
keen hold track in leaders, ridden and weakened 3 out
held up towards rear, ridden and stayed on from 4 out, no danger to front 3
held up towards rear, headway 7th, slight chance 2 out, ridden and not pace of winner
tracked leaders, ridden and dropped rear 5th, headway to go in touch under pressure 4 out, weakened soon after
held up towards rear, headway approaching 3 out, hard ridden when mistake 2 out, not recover
mid-division, headway 4th, ridden and lost place 8th, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out
mid-division, mistake 7th, ridden and weakened 4 out, pulled up before last
Regal Holly is a confident choice in this long distance handicap hurdle, with Dubai Seven Stars, Linus and Billy Ballbreaker others in with a shout. Regal Holly is better known as a chaser, her biggest success coming in the mares' final at Uttoxeter last March. Charlie Mann's charge is better handicapped over hurdles though and ran a blinder at Kempton before Christmas on only her second run since coming back. In the lead turning for home, she was outpaced in the end as Diamant Noir and Kadara pulled away, eventually finishing fourth. That form worked out very well on Saturday, with Diamant Noir winning at Doncaster, and Kadara second in a very competitive affair at Ascot. The softer ground will suit Regal Holly who should stamp her class on these average rivals. Quite a few of them have enough placed form to warrant respect, including Linus who was successful when dropped to selling company at Newton Abbot in September. On his latest start at Leicester, the six-year-old finished well clear of the third when chasing home Circus Maximus, showing that he handles soft ground when staying on well. This race is marginally better than that claimer, and with the longer trip to suit, Linus should reach the frame. Dubai Seven Stars was an easy winner at this track in selling company before Christmas but was well behind Linus at Leicester and looks held again. The rest are nothing special, although Colin Tizzard has been in form this term so Billy Ballbreaker may be worth bearing in mind for a place. For the winner though, it is hard to escape the claims of Regal Holly
