held up towards rear, headway approaching 10th, chased leaders approaching 4 out, ridden next, weakened before 2 out
mid-division, fell 4th
held up towards rear, blundered 10th, soon weakened
chased leaders, ridden and weakened after 5 out
tracked leader, led before 4 out, clear before last, kept on well
towards rear, ridden and headway after 5 out, weakened after 2 out
towards rear, headway and pushed along to in touch before 4 out, not fluent 2 out, soon chased winner, weakened towards finish
mid-division, badly hampered 4th and did well to recover, soon lost place, headway from 5 out, kept on towards finish
led, blundered 9th, headed approaching 4 out, soon weakened
in rear, hampered 4th, jumped slow 7th, soon driven along, weakened from 9th
mid-division, headway approaching 8th to chase leaders, weakened before 2 out
Nonrunner
Bertie May was a reformed character last season, winning over both hurdles and fences at this track. He often needs a run to blow away the cobwebs, however, and is passed over on the basis. Present To You is a winning pointer so it's no surprise to see him switched to the larger obstacles early in his career. He has the class to figure in this, but Inside Dealer has been put up 4lb for finishing second at Wincanton and Chepstow winner Manmoon was well beaten over this C&D off this mark two runs ago. MAURISCA has been in good form over hurdles recently and returns to chasing on a decent mark - he gets the vote with both trip and going in his favour.
Present To You (IRE) 7-2 (10-13) Took keen hold in touch, smooth headway to chase leader after 3 out, good jump to lead 2 out, about 1 length ahead last, driven and idled flat, headed last strides, 2nd of 12, hd behind Kauto The Roc (10-4) at Fontwell 2m 4f 4yo nov stks (4) gs in Nov.
Direct Flight (IRE) 16-1 (11-1) Held up towards rear, pushed along after 11th, weakened and pulled up before 14th, in a race won by Victor Daly (10-7) at Aintree 3m 1f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May, 12 ran.
Gaora Lane (IRE) 6-1 (11-12) Chased leader until 4th, stayed close up, pushed along after 8th, last and struggling 10th, last of 7, 22l behind Zarrafakt (11-8) at Folkestone 2m 5f hcp chs 0-125 (3) sft in Nov.
Rhum (FR) 14-1 (11-3) Chased leaders, hit 5th, soon lost place and weakened under pressure, tailed off, 15th of 23, well behind Aegean Dawn (11-0) at Cheltenham 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gs in Nov.
Inside Dealer (IRE) 10-11fav (11-6) Led, strongly pressed when pecked on landing and headed 2 out, every chance last, rallied gamely from last and upsides flat, just failed, 2nd of 6, shd behind I'm A Legend (11-12) at Wincanton 2m hcp chs 0-115 (4) gs in Nov.
Or Sing About (FR) 14-1 (11-2) Jumped left, chased leaders, ridden and every chance after 9th, beaten when hit 3 out, 8th of 16, 32l behind Sheshali (10-13) at Exeter 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) gf in May '09.
Josear 12-1 (11-6) Chased leader until not much room and squeezed out well before 2nd, soon behind and struggling, tailed off, 6th of 8, 25l behind Minnie Hill (11-8) at Exeter 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-105 (4) hvy in Nov.
Stradbrook (IRE) 9-2 (11-4) Held up in 6th, good headway before 11th, tracked leader before next, driven and dropped to 3rd before 2 out where mistake, no chance with front pair, lost modest 3rd post, 4th of 7, 18l behind Zarrafakt (11-8) at Folkestone 2m 5f hcp chs 0-125 (3) sft in Nov.
Maurisca (FR) 4-1fav (10-2) Keen hold in touch, not fluent 6th, every chance 2 out, kept on under pressure, 4th of 16, 2 3/4l behind Gold Reef (10-13) at Sandown 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-110 (3) gs in Nov.
Darn Hot 5-1 (11-2) Held up in last, headway 14th, challenged 4 out until 2 out, 3rd and beaten when bad mistake last, 3rd of 5, 24l behind Ovthenight (10-9) at Huntingdon 3m hcp chs 0-115 (4) gs in Nov.
Kap West (FR) (10-12) 4th of 9 Mauriti (10-5) at Le Pin Du Haras(FR) 2m 2f chs gd in Oct '09.
Massini Sunset (IRE) 20-1 (10-7) Tracked leaders, jumped slowly 5th, hampered and lost place 7th, soon behind, tailed off, 8th of 12, well behind Mud Monkey (10-13) at Huntingdon 2m 4f hcp chs 0-115 (4) gs in Nov.
Manmoon (FR) 8-1 (11-11) Chased leader, led narrowly 6th, made rest, went slightly right 3 out, ridden and hit 2 out, driven and kept on flat, won at Chepstow 2m 3f cnd hcp chs (0-95) (5) sft in Nov beating Flying Squad (11-7) by 1/2l, 5 ran.
Bertie May 3-1 (10-7) Chased leaders, challenging when left in lead 3 out, kept on from last, won at Exeter 2m 7f hcp hdl (2) gs in Feb beating Aldertune (10-13) by 10l, 8 ran.
