chased leading pair to 3rd, not fluent next, dropped to last 9th, hit next, outpaced and no danger from 11th, went 3rd near finish
tracked leader, jumped left 8th, led approaching 11th, headed approaching 3 out, 1 length down last, emptied quickly and lost 2nd flat, lost 3rd near finish
led, stumbled 3rd, reminders after 9th, headed approaching 11th, ridden after 12th, weakened 4 out, pulled up before 3 out
held up in last, not fluent 6th, went 4th 9th, progressed to go 3rd after 12th, 2 lengths down 2 out, beaten approaching last, went 2nd flat, no chance with winner
held up, jumped slowly 1st, chased leading pair from 3rd, went 2nd 12th, led approaching 3 out, ridden after 2 out, stayed on well to draw clear flat
Another tricky little contest with all having a chance and probably their supporters, but heading our shortlist is SYNCHRONISED, ahead of Gullible Gordon and Great Endeavour. Jonjo O'Neill's only runner on the card is seeking a hat-trick of successes, but although capable of making the odd jumping mistake, has won those previous races pretty comfortably. He's also got a couple of entries for similar races later in the week, but they may have been precautionary because of the weather, although he handles testing conditions very well. Gullible Gordon is a big strong horse who won a similar event two runs back in the autumn, before falling next time out. The Nicholls/Walsh combo is bound to attract some support, especially if they're having a successful day with their earlier runners here. Great Endeavour, like our selection, also won last time out and again is comfortable when the going gets tough. Given the conditions and the fact Synchromised seems to have a few pounds in hand on official ratings, that's the one we'll be supporting.
Synchronised (IRE) 7-2fav (11-2) Held up in rear, not fluent 2nd, hampered 4 out, soon switched right, headway when hampered 3 out, went 2nd before 2 out, led approaching last, drew clear flat, stayed on well, won at Chepstow 3m nov chs (3) hvy in Dec beating Giles Cross (11-1) by 4 1/2l, 8 ran.
Great Endeavour (IRE) 8-13fav (10-12) Tracked leader, led 8th, jumped left 4 out, under pressure 2 out, driven out, won at Towcester 2m 6f nov chs (3) hvy in Nov beating Jaunty Journey (11-2) by 3 1/2l, 4 ran.
Gullible Gordon (IRE) 4-7fav (11-8) Led, sprawled badly and unseated rider 13th, in a race won by Red Admiral (11-6) at Wincanton 2m 5f nov chs Grade 2 4yo+ (1) gs in Nov, 3 ran.
Penn Da Benn (FR) 9-2 (11-0) Held up in rear, blundered badly and unseated rider 6th, in a race won by Edgbriar (10-11) at Doncaster 2m 3f beg chs (4) gd in Dec, 6 ran.
Over Sixty 5-1fav (11-9) Held up mid-division, under pressure 4 out, soon beaten, 7th of 10, 16l behind Amber Brook (11-12) at Wincanton 2m 6f hcp hdl (2) gs in Nov.
