Martin Pipe has ruled the roost in races of this nature in recent years and it is very hard to get away from the claims of Korelo after he finally rid himself of the maiden tag last time at Taunton. However, he did have to be shoved along from a long way out by Roddy Greene on that occasion before he eventually asserted his dominance over some ordinary opposition. He has shaped as if he is now ready for a step up in trip and he is not one to be going in too heavily on in his follow up bid. Another to consider is River City, who is well regarded by his connections and started to live up to those expectations when scoring at Newton Abbott last November. But all his better previous efforts came on firmer going and it remains to be see if he is to be risked on today's heavy ground. Therefore Be My Destiny will carry our hopes of getting the day off to a flying start. The gelding is another who will be seen at his best over a longer trip and is likely to be sent over fences sooner rather than later. But he will love the testing conditions though and could take some beating if this turns into a test of resilience as he is is set to receive a handy 6lb's from his penalised rivals. Tribal Dispute has shown only ordinary form so far but is still relatively unexposed and may be worth monitoring for the future.
