held up, went 9th at 16th, no chance from 5 out, tailed off
held up, mistake 18th, headway 22nd, disputed 3rd last, soon switched left, one pace
in touch, went 2nd 25th, every chance 5 out, outpaced when jumped slowly 2 out, stayed on flat
chased leaders early, soon settled in mid-division, went 6th 12th, led 5 out, stayed on well, gamely
chased leaders, disputed 3rd at the 9th, mistake 23rd, behind from 5 out, tailed off
chased leader, led 23rd, headed 5 out, stayed on same pace from 3 out
mid-division, mistake 3rd, headway 5 out, one pace from 2 out, no impression approaching last
held up in touch, slipped up after 4th
prominent, mistake 7th, behind from 15th, tailed off from 24th
in rear until brought down after 4th
always behind, mistake 20th, tailed off 24th, pulled up before 27th
behind, tailed off 19th, pulled up before 23rd
led and soon clear, headed 23rd, weakening when jumped slowly 25th, blundered 27th, tailed off
chased leaders, challenged winner from 5 out, stayed on flat
Proven form round this unique course is important, but we shall take French raider Plum'tee to beat the likes of obvious contenders Native Jack, Spot Thedifference, and Ivoire de Beaulieu. The veteran Spot Thedifference has of course been a standing dish over the course-and-distance, having prevailed no less than four times, including twice in this particular contest. However, he is now 13-years-old, and has not won since scoring here 12 months ago so is hard to fancy strongly. No doubt he will be set alight by the race again, indeed he chased home Native Jack when the latter was successful here at the Festival in March, but he is worth opposing. We intend to do so with Plum'tee who jumped well when landing the last of his three victories in France just over three weeks ago. That was a cross-country affair as well, and he could well be back here in March if successful. The other major contender is Ivoire de Beaulieu, bought by connections for just this type of event. He did not disappoint here in December, and was put away after scoring over hurdles at Sedgefield on Boxing Day. Off since, he will come on for the outing, but his stable is now back in form, so expect a big run. Royal Auclair went off the boil last season, but is a classy sort, and any support for East Lawyer should be noted. For the winner we return to Plum'tee.
Ivoire De Beaulieu (FR) 4-6fav (10-7) Held up towards rear, headway 10th, led 3 out, ridden out, won at Sedgefield 3m 3f nov hdl (E) sft in Dec beating Toni Alcala (10-9) by 3/4l, 9 ran.
Native Jack (IRE) 33-1 (9-3) Always behind, tailed off, last of 19, well behind Finger Onthe Pulse (10-10) at Naas 2m 4f hcp hdl sft in Oct.
Royal Auclair (FR) 10-1 (11-12) Mid-division, effort 17th, one pace from 3 out, 6th of 11, 23l behind See You Sometime (10-1) at Ascot 3m hcp chs (2) gf in Oct.
Spot Thedifference (IRE) 25-1 (11-6) Always behind, trailing from 6th, tailed off, 21st of 25, well behind Clearwaterdreamer (10-11) at Punchestown 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-109 sft in Oct.
Bravery (IRE) 10-1 (10-11) Tracked leader in moderate 2nd, closed on leader when checked after 5 out, disputed lead 3 out, ridden and weakened before next, 5th of 6, 18l behind Loss Of Faith (10-13) at Cork 2m 5f chs gs in Sept.
Buailtes And Fadas (IRE) 20-1 (9-10) Behind, went poor 6th 4 out, kept on without threatening under pressure, 6th of 8, 34l behind Zum See (10-8) at Cork 2m hcp chs 0-140 gs in Oct.
East Lawyer (FR) 8-1 (10-7) Always in rear, tailed off when pulled up 3 out in race won by Tribal Venture (10-5) at Chepstow 3m hcp chs 0-145 (2) gd in Oct, 14 ran.
Plum'tee (FR) 9-10fav (11-1) won at Nancy 3m 1f amt chs gd in Oct beating Ketty De Vaut (10-10) by 4l, 5 ran.
Happy Hussar (IRE) 40-1 (10-0) Chased leaders to 12th, soon behind, stayed on from last but no danger, 5th of 12, 26l behind Ardaghey (11-9) at Cheltenham 3m amt hcp chs 0-130 (3) gs in Oct.
Innisfree (IRE) 12-1 (10-13) Always behind, tailed off when fell 4 out in race won by Ballysheedy (9-11) at Downpatrick 2m 7f hcp chs 0-95 gd in Sept, 14 ran.
Penalty Clause (IRE) 5-1 (10-12) Tracked leader, led 5th, drew clear approaching 4 out, eased flat, won at Fontwell 2m 2f hcp chs 0-88 (5) gf in Sept beating Auditor (10-1) by 11l, 9 ran.
Ol' Man River (IRE) 12-1 (9-9) Chased leader, made most 7th to 4 out, ridden 3 out, pecked 3 out, rallied 2 out, hard ridden and ran on from last, just failed, 2nd of 10, 1/2l behind Fluff 'n' Puff (10-5) at Taunton 2m 7f hcp chs 0-105 (4) gd in Oct.
Running Hot 25-1 (11-1) Jumped left throughout, led, ridden and headed approaching 4 out, weakening when hit 3 out, 3rd of 9, 31l behind Kittenkat (11-5) at Exeter 2m 7f nov hcp chs 0-110 (D) gs in Mar '05.
Star Performance (IRE) 25-1 (10-6) Tracked leaders, 5th halfway, outpaced before 3 out, kept on from next, 7th of 25, 16l behind Clearwaterdreamer (10-11) at Punchestown 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-109 sft in Oct.
