with leader, led 11th, clear 5 out, easily
not fluent, made most, mistake 7th, headed 11th, blundered next, soon lost touch
Stromness has probably scared away most of the potential opposition in this novices' chase and, with the Alan King stable in such good form, it will be a surprise if the six-year-old is not good enough to get the better of his two rivals The Kew Tour and Alias. The last mentioned has shown very little sign of ability and, unless one of the other runners fails to complete, seems booked for third place prize-money only. The Kew Tour was a 108-rated hurdler at his best and has won a race over fences, successful at Wetherby in October but got no further than the first fence on his only subsequent outing here last month. Sue Smith's gelding needs to improve to trouble Stromness who should prove to be too classy for his rivals. Rated 149 at his best over timber, Alan King's gelding has yet to prove that he is as good over the larger obstacles but history now tells us that there was no disgrace in being beaten five lengths on his chasing bow by Strong Flow at Worcester in May before opening his account at Worcester two months later. That earned the six-year-old a rating of 136 so, granted a clear round, Stromness should be too good for The Kew Tour.
