held up towards, led after 17th, ridden after 4 out, mistake 3 out, headed approaching 2 out, stayed on same pace
held up in mid-division, lost place 11th, headway on bit 15th, led going well approaching 2 out, quickened clear approaching last, easily
led to after 17th, soon ridden, weakened 4 out, pulled up before 3 out
held up in mid-division, mistake 15th, ridden 16th, weakened 17th
held up last, ridden 14th, one pace
in touch, headway on bit 17th, chased leader 4 out, ridden approaching 3 out, kept on same pace
chased leader, pushed along 10th, ridden 12th, weakened 14th, pulled up before 16th
held up in mid-division, ridden after 12th, kept on same pace
In this contest, we will side with Inca Trail ahead of Even More and, possibly, Garolsa. The selection, a brother to Best Mate won here from a six-pound higher mark over hurdles and, no doubt, he remains competitive from his current mark over the larger obstacles, particularly as blinkers seem to have helped his cause. Watch out for possibly another riding masterclass from Ruby Walsh. Turning to the others and Carryonharry runs under a penalty having bounced back to form with a Ludlow win, but that was not a strong race and, even though he is still well weighted based on his 2002 form, could be worth opposing off topweight. Even More is also running under a penalty for a Taunton win from solid benchmark, Orswell Crest. He is entitled to respect but will need a career-best effort to score. Bathwick Annie has something to prove now after being reassessed following her Newbury win 12 months ago, but Garolsa could improve for the fitting of cheekpieces as his stable is in good heart. Team Captain and Walter's Destiny are both course and distance winners but are a little hard to fancy on recent form. Palouse won twice in October, including here, but has struggled in his last two races following reassessment. Once again, then, overall, we will side with Inca Trail.
