chased winner till approaching 2nd, mistake 10th, behind next
chased winner approaching 2nd, ridden and mistake 2 out, outpaced approaching last
El Cordobes is something of a standing dish around here having won here three times and placed twice from eight runs and although he is nowhere near as good as he once was, he is still capable of fair form as he showed when winning over course and distance last month where he had Pangeran well held back in second. The third that day Strong Magic ran well enough at Huntingdon on Tuesday, so the form appears to be sound enough. He has nothing to fear from Pangeran on that running and seems certain to be involved in the finish. However, Mark Pitman has his team in good order and it may pay to take a chance with Count Campioni, despite his long lay off. A high-class hurdler at his best the nine-year-old he looked set for a promising career over fences when making a winning debut over the larger obstacles at Uttoxeter back in 2000, but he found life difficult for one lacking in experience having tackled the likes of Shotgun Willy and Bindaree in subsequent contests. The lack of a recent outing isn't a concern as he has won first time out in 1998, 99 and 2000 and as an added bonus, the Handicapper looks to have taken a chance with him dropping him 12lbs to a career low mark of 103. Chasing debutante Mini Dare is interesting, and as he is out of a mare that won over fences there is every reason to believe he may well be capable of plenty of improvement now he switches to chasing, but Count Campioni was a class act in the past and if he retains any ability, he can prove too strong for his rivals here.
