prominent, ridden behind leaders when blundered 13th, ridden 3 out, weakened quickly 2 out, pulled up before last
led to 4th, led 8th, blundered badly and headed 9th, chased leaders and every chance 3 out, no extra from next
held up in touch, led 9th, blundered 4 out, ridden clear 2 out, driven out flat
chasing leaders when fell 8th
held up in touch, ridden weakened 11th, tailed off
prominent, pushed along 6th, mistake 7th, ridden and headway when mistake 4 out, stayed on same pace from last
Pharaway Citizen, Basil and Jolly Giant were all all out to win their most recent outings and have more to do off their higher marks. Of the trio, slight preference is for the first mentioned, who is open to more improvement than most and is only 4lbs higher than when beating the Venetia Williams-trained Pharpost at Newbury. However, that was under testing conditions and it remains to be seen whether he can reproduce the form on this faster surface. Just Reuben has been raised 7lbs by the handicapper for finishing second to Indalo at Plumpton last month, a rise that seems harsh, so the selection is Orswell Crest. The Philip Hobbs-trained gelding won at both Wincanton and Aintree in November and, although beaten in two starts since, he remains on a fair mark (only 7lbs higher than when scoring on the latter occasion) and, on ground conditions that suit, he looks worth chancing.
