held up, headway 7th, ridden 4 out, weakened next
jumped well, tracked leader, led 7th, clear 2 out, very easily
led to 7th, ridden next, soon weakened
tracked leaders, ridden approaching 6th, soon behind, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out
held up, headway 6th, chased winner approaching 3 out, ridden approaching 2 out, soon weakened
Fiori caught the eye on his first start following a break when runner-up behind a useful yardstick at Wetherby last week and should prove hard to beat. Patrick Haslam's versatile performer, a multiple winner on the Flat as well as over hurdles, looked just as effective over the larger obstacles when successful at Kelso in October. The seven-year-old should be sharper for his latest outing and should prove too classy for today's rivals. The ex-French trained Kock de La Vesvre shaped nicely on his British debut over fences in January but ruined a winning chance next time with some poor jumping. The five-year-old is open to further improvement and is preferred for the forecast ahead of The Parsons Dingle who steps up in grade after landing a weak handicap over course and distance last month.