Tote Win: £3.10 Tote Place: £1.40,4.90,5.60,4.60
Straight Forecast: £74.21 Exacta: £47.50 Trifecta: £2,102.20 Swingers: 1&2:10.90 2&3:318.90 1&3:12.90

Jackpot: £157,074.84 carried forward to Cheltenham, 18th Mar
Placepot: £219.20, Pool: £902226.06, 3003.34 winning tickets
Quadpot: £25.60, Pool: £38127.21, 1101.17 winning tickets

A victory for headgear, as the first seven home sported either blinkers, a visor or cheek-pieces. Really though this was all about one horse, JUNIOR, who was steadily gambled for this race once the weights were announced, and who attracted even more support throughout the course of the day. Never too far off the pace set by Deal Done, he jumped fairly well in the main, although a tad careful at a couple. However that's exactly what you need in a race like this, and guided nicely through the race by the experienced Jamie Codd, he moved through to take up the lead before three from home. Although ridden along, his jockey (who had earlier checked to see if any dangers were lurking) pushed him further clear and there was soon so large a gap between him and anything else that the race was effectively over. Plenty of credit goes to his stablemate Faasel, who although not always the most resolute, certainly showed the better side of his character. He was ponderous, to say the least, at the eighth and a couple later on, but he continued to grind away and was rewarded with a (distant) second; his trainer David Pipe got the forecast. The front-running Deal Done probably went off a shade too quick; however he may have taken second spot had he not battered the fourth-last fence. Galaxy Rock is not the best handicapped horse in the world, but after his jockey had done well to keep the partnership intact at the first, he slowly crept into the race. He never looked like picking up the winner going down the hill, but he ran a good race and looks a much happier horse since being fitted with blinkers. The mare Pomme Tiepy stayed on from quite a long way back and probably wasn't really suited by the way the race was run, whilst Fredo was a bit keen early on; he too made some late headway from off the gallop. Far More Serious looked a live danger at the top of the hill, as he was still travelling kindly for Sam Waley-Cohen, although admittedly a few lengths off Junior. Whilst the latter kicked on, Far More Serious couldn't match him for speed and that seemed to put him a bit out of his rhythm. He jumped out to his right at the third from home and from that point seemed to find little for pressure. Galant Nuit was quietly fancied, but the rain that he needs failed to materialise. He was held-up, ran off his feet in the early stages, and was pulled up before four from home.