mid-division, hit 4th, ridden and weakened after 3 out
pulled hard towards rear, pushed along and headway 5th, outpaced 3 out, soon tailed off
mid-division, ridden after 3 out, never able to challenge
prominent chasing group, ridden after 3 out, kept on one pace from next
in touch chasing group, ridden and lost place after 5th, soon beaten
chased clear and easy winner, ridden approaching 2 out, kept on no chance with winner
mid-division, outpaced 3 out, soon ridden and no impression
mid-division, ridden after 5th, soon weakened, tailed off from 2 out
raced keenly towards rear, headway halfway, went 3rd after 3 out, soon ridden, no impression
made all and soon well clear, still 8 lengths clear 2 out, ridden out flat, unchallenged
soon towards rear, tailed off from 2 out
in rear, lost touch 5th, never dangerous
always behind, lost touch 3 out, tailed off and pulled up before last
prominent chasing group, outpaced after 3 out, no impression from next
Probably the better of the two divisions of this race, but still not too clever, and we take Dalblair to be too good for Buttress, Donna's Double, and Italiano. The Martin Todhunter-trained selection has shown pleasing form on two hurdles starts so far, both last season. He handles fast ground, and comes from a yard still having winners, so he should be straight enough first time back and we can catch him right. Buttress makes his hurdling debut, having performed well in defeat in a couple of bumpers. If he can transfer that ability to the timber then he can be involved at the finish. Donna's Double was placed in better company than this at Doncaster last time and is clearly a threat to the selection. He probably has more to come and if he handles the ground then he can play a leading role, while Italiano needs to show a bit more than in a couple of Hexham bumpers, but Peter Beaumont knows the time of day and we anticipate improvement over timber. A poor race then, and we take a chance on Dalblair to score.
