held up in touch, went 2nd after 9th, led approaching 3 out, headed 2 out, weakened flat
jumped left 1st 3, led to 2nd, chased leader until approaching 7th, weakened approaching 9th
held up, ridden approaching 3 out, headway on inside 2 out, staying on and close 3rd when fell last
mid-division, stumbled 7th, lost place, ridden after 9th, went badly lame soon after 3 out, pulled up
held up towards rear, headway 9th, weakened approaching 3 out
held up, ridden after 9th, no response, mistake 2 out
rear of mid-division, headway 8th, soon ridden, went 2nd approaching last, edged left flat, stayed on same pace, no impression on winner
mid-division, mistake 8th, ridden 9th, stayed on from 2 out, went 3rd near finish, no chance with leading pair
held up towards rear, headway after 7th, led 2 out, ran on well flat
raced keenly, prominent, went 2nd approaching 7th, weakened approaching 3 out
chased leader, led 2nd, ridden and headed approaching 3 out, weakening when hampered last
held up, mistake 6th, headway on outside 8th, weakened 2 out, slightly hampered last
A competitive stayers' hurdle for us here and Ladino is taken to land it for the in-form Sheena West, while Forest Green, Rajam and Rajayoga are among others of interest. The selection defied an 18 month lay-off to run a blinder on his Exeter reappearance last month and is suited by trip and ground. There is, of course, concern over the 'bounce' factor but his trainer has given him six weeks to recover, so hopefully he will be ok. The form of that Exeter race hs worked out very well, with the third and fifth having both come out and won since, and he looks to have a great chance here. Rajam is an admirable old stick who rarely runs a bad race. He remains on a competitive mark but perhaps prefers softer ground as he gets longer in the tooth and doesn't get that here. Tony McCoy again teams up with Rajayoga, and the combination went well together at Stratford last month, though a 7lb rise makes this tougher. Forest Green is very much respected on fast ground and could be a handicap blot is he can run to the level of his chase form, but that is doubtful. Even so he can get competitive along with Olmeto Collonges, but Ladino is the one for us.
Glacial Sunset (IRE) 66-1 (11-2) Led, headed approaching 2 out, weakened last, 7th of 17, 13l behind Mous Of Men (10-12) at Sandown 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-140 (2) gd in Apr.
Circassian (IRE) 20-1 (11-12) Always in rear, tailed off from 7th, 9th of 11, well behind Nanga Parbat (10-13) at Worcester 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) gd.
Rajayoga 12-1 (11-3) Held up, not fluent 7th, headway after 9th, led after 3 out, headed when not fluent 2 out, stayed on same pace, 2nd of 10, 2 1/2l behind Grand Slam Hero (11-7) at Stratford 3m 3f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Forest Green (FR) 3-1fav (11-7) Mid-division, ridden approaching 4 out, stayed on approaching last, never nearer, 4th of 15, 8l behind Down The Stretch (10-2) at Stratford 2m 5f hcp chs 0-140 (2) gd in May.
Learning The Blues (FR) 9-1 (11-12) Held up, headway to join leaders 12, led approaching 3 out, soon headed, 3 lengths down in 2ns when fell at the last in race won by Pams Oak (10-8) at Southwell 3m 2f hcp chs 0-115 (4) gd, 10 ran.
Olmeto Collonges (FR) 10-1 (11-12) Held up, headway after 3rd, every chance when jumped badly left last, stayed on, 2nd of 13, 2l behind Cyd Charisse (11-6) at Southwell 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gd.
Cold Mountain (IRE) 15-2 (10-7) Held up, ridden approaching 3 out, stayed on approaching 2 out, went 2nd flat, never any chance with winner, 2nd of 9, 16l behind Sporazene (11-5) at N Abbot 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gf.
Legally Fast (USA) 4-1jt-fav (11-11) Mid-division, headway after 6th, left in lead just after 8th, hit 2 out, headed approaching last, not quicken flat, 2nd of 9, 3l behind Grand Slam Hero (11-10) at Ludlow 3m hcp hdl 0-120 (3) gd in May.
Ladino (FR) 100-1 (10-5) Held up behind, ridden and headway approaching 3 out, went 2nd 2 out, stayed on from last, 2nd of 12, 2l behind Cava Bien (10-6) at Exeter 3m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) gf in May.
Sultan Fontenaille (FR) 33-1 (11-2) fell in race won by Fieldsofclover (10-4) at Stratford 2m 7f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gf, 13 ran.
Rajam 7-1 (10-9) Tracked leaders, went 2nd 6th until 3 out, soon ridden, stayed on flat to regain 2nd close home, no chance with winner, 2nd of 13, 11l behind Fieldsofclover (10-4) at Stratford 2m 7f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gf.
Brinkmanship (USA) 14-1 (11-9) Behind, ridden and hit 5th, beaten when blundered 3 out, 6th of 10, 20l behind The Tother One (11-4) at Newbury 2m 5f nov hcp hdl 0-120 (3) gs in Dec.
