not fluent at times, tracked leader, joined leader 13th, led narrowly 4 out, ridden 2 out, headed narrowly flat, rallied gamely to lead again final strides
tracked leading pair, closed 10th, ridden and no impression 4 out, all of 6 lengths down last, rallied towards finish
led, joined 13th, headed narrowly 4 out, ridden 2 out, every chance next, rallied to lead again flat, headed final strides
Paul Nicholls bids for his fourth consecutive winner on only the fifth renewal of this contest and SILSOL looks to have leading claims. A multiple winner over hurdles, he made a successful start over fences at Carlisle earlier this month and that experience should stand him in good stead ahead of the chasing newcomers Minella Rocco and Private Malone. But the latter pair are both unbeaten over hurdles and, despite making their seasonal debuts, are worth watching for future reference.
Silsol (GER) 5-2fav (11-2) Tracked leaders, not fluent 10th, every chance last, led flat, hard ridden, all out, won at Carlisle 2m 4f (3) hvy in Nov beating Maximiser (11-2) by 1/2l, 6 ran.
Minella Rocco (IRE) 2-5fav (11-4) Tracked leaders, 2nd after 3rd, led 4 out, in control when hit last, never came off the bridle, won at Newbury 2m 5f (4) sft in Feb beating Royal Vacation (10-12) by 7l, 6 ran.
Private Malone (IRE) 5-1 (11-12) Made virtualy all, clear before went left 2 out, shaken up between last two, kept on strongly, won at Wincanton 2m 6f hcp (3) hvy in Jan beating Lewis (11-0) by 4 1/2l, 9 ran.
