Tote Win: £11.30 Tote Place: £2.80,2.80,5.20,3.60
Straight Forecast: £151.12 Exacta: £167.00 Trifecta: £6,002.70 Swingers: 1&2:54.40 2&3:21.50 1&3:61.10

Jackpot: £139,548.66 carried forward to Newton Abbot, 18th Mar
Placepot: £6,397.70, Pool: £191582.89, 21.86 winning tickets
Quadpot: £317.40, Pool: £9479.4, 22.1 winning tickets

This was not quite as attritional as some past renewals with the race run on reasonable ground but still few got into the event and the outcome was going to be decided by the front two from three out. MASTER OVERSEER never really went a stride in the Welsh National over Christmas but this was much more like it as he showed a tremendous attitude to fight off the close attentions of Major Malarkey. The latter had a fractional advantage jumping the last but Tom Scudamore galvanised his mount on the run-in to pull ahead close home in gutsy fashion. Neither shirked the issue after such a long way but equally both had little to recommend them from their last outing which makes predicting the winner of these marathon staying races continually tricky. At just nine-years-old, the winner certainly has time on his side to be a player in this type of race down the line. You could not rely on the runner-up to repeat this, a statement that applies to third-place stablemate Ballyfitz, who stayed on from off the pace without every threatening. Ballyfoy plugged away from the mid-division and could break a lengthy losing streak over shorter if returned to a lower level while Roalco De Farges at least had a crack before fading on the run to the the second last. Tamarinbleu jumped well in the lead though he weakened quickly before the penultimate fence as the stamina ran out but Posh Bird was a big flop and never managed to raise much of a gallop. Perhaps she was feeling the effects of her big run in the Eider Chase at Newcastle last month as Lucy Alexander was rowing away from a very early stage. Locally trained Mohi Rahrere has been in good form but found this too far and had no more to give after a slight mistake three out. Mohayer was very tired when he jumped into the back of Posh Bird at the next fence having veered to his right and was pulled up soon after.