held up in touch, mistakes 5th and 7th, 4 lengths 4th and ridden when blundered and unseated rider, 3 out
chased winner, ridden and 3 lengths down when stumbled slightly 2 out, soon beaten
chased leaders, ridden after 3 out, not fluent 2 out, soon weakened
jumped well, made all, in command after 2 out, drew clear from last, easily
held up, driven along after 8th, weakened after next
Natal is a classy chaser in the making and the scope to go all the way this season. Penzance and the Irish raider, Callow Lake, are expected to pose the most problems along the way this afternoon. Callow Lake showed plenty of ability over hurdles last term and seems to handle most types of ground. The six-year-old made a smooth transition to fences at Tipperary in August and appears to be going the right way. However, he concedes in excess of 4lb to the rest on the terms of the race and faces a stiff test under the circumstances. Penzance was frustrating to follow last year and cost his supporters dearly on several occasions. Notwithstanding, he has shown an aptitude for the larger obstacles and, as the Alan King-trained gelding has been unfortunate enough to encounter a couple of smart prospects in his last two outings, he has to be respected today. Fair Along (runner up in the 2006 Triumph Hurdle) appeals as the best of the rest, but has been thrown in at the deep end for his chasing debut. Cheltenham poses an unforgiving test for a novice and he will find it very difficult to dominate this field when jumping at speed. Especially if Natal lives up to his billing. Trainer, Paul Nicholls reported the gelding to have schooled impeccably at home before he registered a bloodless success at Exeter last month, and a repeat does would make him very hard to master if he, as can be expected, has thrived in the intervening period.
Callow Lake (IRE) 4-1 (11-7) Always prominent, 5th after slight mistake 5 out, 4th under pressure after 3 out, 3rd 2 out, soon challenged, led after last, stayed on well, won at Tralee 2m beg chs gs in Aug beating Articulation (11-6) by 2l, 11 ran.
Charlies Double 16-1 (11-4) Chased leader, hit 3rd, weakened approaching 3 out, 14th of 20, well behind From Dawn To Dusk (10-9) at Huntingdon 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) gd in May.
Natal (FR) 1-3fav (11-6) Tracked leaders, good jump to go 2nd after 8th, joined leader next, led 3 out, ran on, readily, won at Exeter 2m 1f beg chs (4) gd in Oct beating Manorson (11-6) by 7l, 6 ran.
Penzance 6-1 (11-4) Led 2nd until next, chased winner, led soon after 4 out, blundered and headed 3 out, not recover, 2nd of 6, 10l behind Denman (10-12) at Exeter 2m 1f nov chs (3) gd in Oct.
Fair Along (GER) 7-1 (11-12) Led, clear 3 out, joined and jumped left last, soon headed, weakened flat, 3rd of 19, 3l behind Monolith (11-2) at Cheltenham 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-140 (2) gd in Oct.
Patman Du Charmil (FR) 14-1 (10-5) Held up, headway after 5th, ridden 7th, outpaced approaching 2 out, stayed on well towards finish, 4th of 7, 5l behind Howle Hill (11-10) at Warwick 2m nov chs (3) gd in Oct.
