held up, mistake 1st, headway 8th, led approaching 2 out, ridden approaching last, ran on
tracked leaders, ridden approaching 3 out, every chance approaching last, ran on
prominent, pecked 11th, ridden after 4 out, weakened approaching 2 out
led, mistake 3 out, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, 3rd and beaten when fell last
held up, mistake 8th, jumped slowly 9th and 10th, soon lost touch, tailed off when pulled up after 3 out
held up, keen in touch, ridden after 3 out, soon weakened
The Philip Hobbs-trained Xellance has yet to fully convince with his jumping and, with the form of stablemate Shalako not amounting to a great deal at present, preference is for Isard III. Martin Pipe's gelding has not always looked a natural over the larger obstacles but showed he was getting the hang of things when successful at Newton Abbot last month, when beating the reliable Old Marsh by four lengths, and he is taken to defy the burden of 12st 4lb. Your Advantage has proved to be a frustrating customer over hurdles and it will be interesting to see if he can be seen in a better light now that he tackles fences. With the Jonjo O'Neill stable in good form, he has to be respected. Xellance took advantage of a fall be the selection when scoring at Newton Abbot but looked very novicey that day and has since been put back over hurdles. Of more interest may be his stable companion Shalako, although the form of his last time out defeat of Watch The Dove took a few knocks when Colin Tizzard's horse was subsequently beaten by another Hobbs inmate, Frederic Forever, on Saturday. Henrietta Knight's Balladeer was well held on his chasing debut but should do better over today's longer trip, while neither Sapsys Lad nor Half An Hour look good enough in a race that is taken to go to Isard III.
