in touch, effort to press leaders approaching 2 out, 4th one pace and held when mistake 2 out
mistakes, held up in rear, mistakes 2nd & 4th, blundered 5th, no impression when jumped slow 4 out, headway under pressure after next, led approaching 2 out, jumped right last two,
in touch until outpaced approaching 2 out
tracked leaders on inner, effort to track winner going easily approaching 2 out, ridden and no impression before last, weakened flat
always rear, jumped right 1st, mistake 7th, tailed off when pulled up after 3 out
tracked leaders, effort 9th, weakened before 2 out
made most to 8th, lost place 3 out, weakened and pulled up before 2 out
behind, struggling 9th, tailed off when pulled up after 3 out
mostly tracked leader, led 8th, headed and outpaced approaching 2 out, kept on again flat to take 2nd near finish, no chance with winner
in touch until weakened after 3 out
Chicago Bulls is a tough cookie and this faster surface coupled with a 7lbs rise in the weights for his hard fought success gained at Towcester look enough to stop him and preference is for Battle Warning, who hails from a yard that can do little wrong at present. I doubt his breeders had a hurdling career in mind for him being by Warning and out of a mare that is a sister to a King George winner in King's Theatre, as well as being a half-sister to the 1998 champion juvenile High Estate. However, while he managed to win three races on the flat (best performance winning a handicap off a mark of 58), he has certainly made up into a much better hurdler and his defeat of Ballybough Rasher at Aintree last time, was his best effort over timber to date. Raised 13lbs for that seems a bit harsh, but when you consider the third horse was some 25 lengths away, maybe the Handicapper is right. Sonevafushi has yet to prove he stays this far, while Mr Markham gets little respite from the Handicapper despite his advancing years. Majestic Bay is better known as a chaser and will surely need this after a break, while Javelin will need to find improvement at this trip if he to take a hand in the finish. The lightly raced Wild Oats is open to plenty of improvement, but he will need to at this level, while Icare D'Oudairies gets in here without a penalty for his success last weekend in a conditional jockeys race. Off a 2lbs lower mark here he has to be of interest, but we will stick with Battle Warning to keep the hot streak of trainer Peter Bowen going.
