tracked leaders, chased leader 11th until 4 out, ridden and kept on same pace from 2 out
held up in touch in rear, went 3rd at 12th, chased leader next, led bend before last, ridden when idled flat
tracked leader, mistake 8th, dropped to rear 12th, weakened next, pulled up 2 out
led, 6 lengths clear 7th, reduced lead 12th, joined 2 out, ridden and headed bend before last, kept on one pace
SHINOOKI has been placed around here over hurdles. He's run a little in snatches in recent defeats at Ludlow but maybe the drop in trip will help him concentrate a little more and he can give the weight to Sitting Back. The latter won by eight lengths at Fontwell last month but is 9lb higher and can hardly be improving at the age of 11. Dazzling Rita managed just one victory in 18 attempts over hurdles and it's anybody's guess how she'll take to fences while Caballo De Marcus' best recent run came in a maiden point-to-point and he struggles over regulation fences.
Caballo De Marcus (USA) 16-1 (10-6) Held up and behind, not fluent 8th, hit 17th, well beaten 4 out, 8th of 9, 40l behind Gorsky Island (11-5) at Ludlow 3m 1f hcp chs 0-125 (3) gs in Nov.
Shinooki (IRE) 2-1fav (11-5) Chased leading pair, mistake 11th, lost 3rd before 13th, rallied under pressure into 3rd again before 4 out, went 2nd 4 out, every chance when mistake 3 out, held when went right next, 2nd of 9, 9l behind Rio Milan (11-10) at Ludlow 2m 4f nov hcp chs 0-105 (4) gs in Dec.
Dazzling Rita 9-2 (10-11) Held up towards rear, headway after 6th, one pace when not fluent 2 out, weakened before last, 6th of 12, 30l behind Frank N Fair (10-1) at Bangor 2m 4f mrs hcp hdl 0-100 (5) gs in Dec.
Sitting Back (IRE) 16-1 (10-0) With leader, led 3rd, made rest, clear before last, kept on well, won at Fontwell 2m 4f hcp 0-100 (5) sft in Dec beating Bob Will (10-0) by 8l, 8 ran.
