held up, headway approaching 5th, tracked winner after 2 out, ridden to lead after last, no extra when headed final stride
raced in 3rd, headway approaching 5th, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened 2 out
held up, headway approaching 5th, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened approaching 2 out
raced freely and soon in clear lead, headed after 2 out, soon ridden, weakened approaching last
outpaced and well behind from 4th, stayed on flat, never on terms
held up, headway approaching 5th, ridden approaching 3 out, one pace
chased leader in clear 2nd, headway at 5th, led 2 out, slipped on bend approaching last, headed flat, ridden and ran on well to lead final strides all out
A potentially informative novices' hurdle with several interesting types lining up including Martin Pipe's flat recruit Contraband, the hat trick- seeking Lowlander, Charlie Mann's three times hurdle winner Showpiece and Albuhera, who is also going for a fourth win over timber and gets the vote. The Paul Nicholls-trained inmate has improved greatly over timber since his debut at Chepstow in October with fluent successes at Exeter, Chepstow and here at Cheltenham. The latest of those came off a mark of 115 and, although beaten at Ascot off just a 4lb higher mark subsequently, that is probably best forgotten as the five-year-old slipped badly on the bend and lost his chance as a result. Contraband was of a similar level of ability to the selection on the level when trained by William Haggas and, while he is sure to have been well schooled, he looks to face a stiff task on his hurdles debut. From a handicapping point of view, Showpiece has to be respected but the son of Selkirk has had a break since finishing second to Italian Counsel in the Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen in July and may just be in need of the run. A bigger threat may come from Lowlander, who had some decent form on the level when with John Oxx and has done little wrong over hurdles since joining Dermot Weld with wins at Downpatrick, Tralee and, latterly, at Limerick. The four-year-old is difficult to weigh up but his trainer's runners always warrant respect. Self Defense is probably flattered by his proximity to Rooster Booster in the Agfa Hurdle and is best watched on his return, while Optimaite needs to improve on his debut effort to trouble Albuhera, who sets the standard and gets the vote.
