led and soon clear, ridden 7th, headed 3 out, soon held
tracked leaders, went 2nd 4 out, ridden and every chance 2 out, one pace last
tracked leaders, driven 4 out, one pace from 3 out
held up, hit 5th and 6th, headway 4 out, chasing leading pair when mistake 2 out, kept on flat but held
in touch, led 3 out, headed briefly approaching 2 out, kept on, all out gamely
held up, lost touch from 5th
tracked leader, weakened 8th
A superb turn out for this race sees CRACK AWAY JACK put his Champion Hurdle credentials on the line and he's taken to come up trumps. The enigmatic Lough Derg invariably saves his best for this circuit but it's difficult to envisage this doughty battler keeping the young pretenders at bay. Franchoek is likely to be the least fancied of the principal quartet and he has something to find with Elusive Dream on their running at Aintree in April. Franchoek could prove to be ideally suited by this trip and beyond through the course of the season but this is a tough place to start. Elusive Dream finished almost three lengths in front of him at Aintree before following up with a cosy success at Cheltenham just over a week later. He was well placed by his handler last season and may be capable of making his mark at the highest level although he does need to improve in order to do so. Chomba Womba was hugely impressive when winning at Wincanton but that was a handicap. The assessor was impressed and she's now rated just 2lbs below Elusive Dream and Crack Away Jack and is equally at home over this trip. Her chance shouldn't be taken lightly but it was hard not to be impressed by Crack Away Jack's defeat of Ashkazar in the Fred Winter and those who weren't taken with that performance must surely have been moved by his win at Chepstow. Not many of those behind have done a great deal for the form and this is the toughest task that he's been set but he was visually impressive. The trip is another factor as this will be the first time that he's been asked to go beyond two miles one but he travels so sweetly in his races and finishes so strongly that he seems sure to last home. Lough Derg is likely to ensure that this is a stern test of his credentials but Crack Away Jack can come through this trial with his reputation intact.
Lough Derg (FR) 6-1 (11-8) Led, ridden approaching 9th, headed 3 out, soon driven, weakened, 6th of 8, 45l behind Pettifour (11-4) at Wetherby 3m 1f hdl Grd 2 (1) gf.
Alph 40-1 (11-8) Held up, well in rear, outpaced before 5th, stayed on from 2 out, went 3rd last, no chance with front pair, 3rd of 7, 10l behind Snap Tie (11-5) at Kempton 2m hdl (2) gd in Oct.
Elusive Dream 10-11fav (11-8) Pressed leader, led 3 out, pushed along to lead between last 2, stayed on strongly flat, won at Cheltenham 2m 5f nov hdl (2) gd in Apr beating Crescent Island (11-4) by 10l, 8 ran.
Franchoek (IRE) Evensfav (11-0) Tracked leader in 2nd, pushed along from soon after 3 out, dropped to 4th into straight, soon no extra, 4th of 10, 15l behind Won In The Dark (11-0) at Punchestown 2m 4yo hdl Grd 1 (1) gd in Apr.
Crack Away Jack 7-2 (11-7) Held up, smooth headway 4 out, led on bit approaching last, ran on, won at Chepstow 2m hcp hdl (2) gd in Oct beating Squadron (10-5) by 1 1/2l, 12 ran.
Chomba Womba (IRE) 11-4 (10-6) Chased leader, led after 3 out, shaken up approaching last, soon in command, comfortably, won at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl Grd 2 (1) sft beating Takeroc (10-5) by 3 1/2l, 5 ran.
Bullhill Flyer (IRE) 12-1 (11-12) Towards rear, no impression from 4 out, 10th of 18, 47l behind Spiriton (10-13) at Cork 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-123 sft in Oct.
Kawagino (IRE) 16-1 (11-0) Prominent, mistake 5th, ridden 4 out, weakening when mistake 3 out, 5th of 12, 17l behind Crescent Island (11-3) at Stratford 2m 4f beg chs (4) gd in Oct.
