led, ridden and headed 3 out, soon weakened, remote 4th
prominent, hit 4th, pushed along 7th, lost place 9th, behind when pulled up before 3 out
in touch, mistake 1st, raced wide, took closer order approaching 4 out, effort next, soon weakened, plugged on to go remote 2nd after last
tracked leaders, led 3 out, soon clear, ran on strongly
chased leaders, ridden 4 out, weakened next
in touch, slow 5th, under pressure 4 out, rallied to chase winner after next, soon weakened, lost 2nd closing stages
On 8lb better terms, Riddlestown should get a lot closer to MISTRAL REINE than he did here last month. But we still fancy Lucy Wadham's filly to come out on top overall as connections seem to have found her best trip. Larteta has been knocking on the door but remains a maiden on a high enough mark while Peterbrown hasn't raced since May and is also still seeking a first victory. The Young Master is entitled to respect, however, as he had every chance when falling at Exeter on his last appearance over hurdles and has won on the Fibresand since.
Larteta (FR) 5-1 (11-0) Slowly away, soon tracking leaders, led 4 out, not fluent next, hard ridden when headed last, no extra, 2nd of 9, 1 1/4l behind Rule Of Thumb (11-2) at Huntingdon 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) gd in Dec.
Peterbrown (IRE) 6-1 (10-13) Tracked leaders, driven 3 out, keeping on one pace when left 3rd last, 3rd of 5, 15l behind Cowards Close (11-5) at Fakenham 2m 7f nh nov hdl (3) gd in May.
Mistral Reine 9-2 (11-2) Chased leaders, led 2 out, driven and idled before last, kept on flat, won at Fakenham 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gs in Dec beating Bonnet's Vino (11-6) by 3 1/2l, 7 ran.
The Young Master 8-1 (11-13) Led until after 4th, remained prominent, rallied 4 out, every chance when fell 2 out, in a race won by Rigolo Ville (11-6) at Exeter 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-95 (5) gd in Nov, 15 ran.
Riddlestown (IRE) 7-2 (11-0) Held up in last pair, ridden along 10th, went 4th 3 out, ran on flat, never nearer, 4th of 7, 10l behind Mistral Reine (11-2) at Fakenham 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gs in Dec.
Torrential Raine 11-2 (11-9) Chased leaders, went 2nd after 2nd, led after 7th, ridden before 2 out, headed approaching last, weakened flat, 5th of 9, 9l behind Omid (10-6) at Carlisle 3m 1f hcp hdl 0-105 (4) sft in Dec.
