held up, shaken up approaching 13th, headway approaching 2 out, every chance approaching last, stayed on well to lead closing stages
tracked leaders, left in 2nd at 10th, led approaching 12th, headed 5 out, weakened next, pulled up before 3 out
held up, progress halfway, led approaching 5 out, ridden and headed after last, one pace
soon led, hit 7th, unseated rider 10th
tracked leader, left in lead at 10th, headed 12th, chased leader 2 out, led after last, headed and no extra flat
Palisander took advantage of a fitness advantage over his rivals when successful at Hexham recently and has to be respected but may find this tougher, especially on the softer ground, and preference is for Villair who gets the nod over Radcliffe. The last mentioned is relatively lightly raced and open to improvement at the age of seven. Trainer Venetia Williams is quite capable of producing one to win first time out but the son of Supreme Leader may be better on a faster surface so he is probably best watched today. March North made all at Huntingdon when last seen and is not out of it here off a 10 lb higher mark but is another who would probably prefer the ground to be quicker, while Strong Magic has given little sign for encouragement in two starts this autumn and may need another couple of runs to put him spot on. The vote then goes to Villair. Charlie Mann's gelding was a progressive performer last term, winning handicaps at Warwick and Plumpton in good fashion before failing to stay a marathon trip at Perth on his final outing. Charlie Mann has his string in fine form at present so lack of a recent run need not be a problem for the French bred, who will be better suited by the underfoot conditions than most of his rivals.
