tracked leaders, left in lead 7th, hit and headed 10th, chased leaders 3 out, beaten when blundered last
led, slow and headed 7th, remained prominent, left in lead 10th, hit next, kept on
held up in touch, headway approaching 3 out, soon ridden, stayed on from last never nearer
held up in touch, outpaced and stuggling after 11th, kept on approaching last, never nearer
prominent, mistake 13th, led 2 out, ridden out
Nonrunner
The Dark Lord makes his eagerly awaited debut over fences, and is taken to come out on top over Ardaghey, In The Frame and Tonic du Charmil. The Dark Lord paid his way over hurdles for Lucy Wadham, scoring five times in all, but after turning out at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals last spring, his handicap mark was bound to suffer, and it is now time for his attention to be turned to the bigger obstacles. By all accounts he has schooled impressively on the Links, and defeat is not an option, with regular pilot Leighton Aspell once again on board. Ardaghey is by the same sire, Lord Americo, and is another with a bright future according to connections. He bypassed the Cheltenham Festival after scrambling home in heavy ground at Leicester last February and cannot match the selection in experience. In The Frame is fit and hails from a yard that is going places, but he has a penalty to carry for a previous course win, while Tonic du Charmil, consistent as he is, also has to give weight to The Dark Lord who will surely be mixing it with better company than this in the near future.
In The Frame (IRE) 7-1 (11-12) Held up, went 2nd 6th, ridden when switched left and headed last, soon switched right, eased when held towards finish, 2nd of 5, 4l behind Mister Flint (11-12) at Bangor 2m 4f nov chs (E) gd in Sept.
Tonic du Charmil (FR) 4-1 (11-4) Chased leaders, mistake 2nd, ridden to lead 2 out, driven out, won at Uttoxeter 2m nov chs (D) gf in Sept beating The Glen (10-12) by 1/2l, 12 ran.
Dead Mans Dante (IRE) 25-1 (11-4) Held up and keen, mistake and unseated rider at the 6th in race won by Polished (10-7) at Uttoxeter 2m hcp chs 0-110 (E) gs, 8 ran.
Hot Weld 6-4fav (11-9) Made all, stayed on strongly from last, won at Perth 3m hdl (E) gf in May beating Iris's Prince (11-6) by 7l, 8 ran.
The Dark Lord (IRE) 16-1 (11-3) Held up mid-division, ridden and headway approaching 3 out, stayed on from 2 out, 3rd of 22, 10l behind Holland Park (11-0) at Aintree 3m lst hcp hdl (A) gd in Apr.
Ardaghey (IRE) 11-10 (11-4) Led, hit and headed 2 out, led again last, ran on flat, won at Leicester 2m 4f nh nov hdl (D) gs in Feb beating The Listener (11-10) by a hd, 3 ran.
