with leader, bumped 2nd, blundered 7th, lost place 10th, ridden and outpaced after next, tailed off 4 out
tracked leaders until blundered and unseated rider 7th
in touch on outside, jumped left 2nd, blundered and reminder 6th, hit next, jumped slowly 9th, went clear 2nd next, outpaced 4 out, soon ridden and no chance with winner
made virtually all, driven well clear approaching 3 out, eased right down flat, easily
Just a quartet go for this novices' chase and it is a very tough race to call, with three of them definitely preferring softer ground to be at their best, and we will chance MARCUS to break his maiden over fences, while Noun De La Thinte will be a leading player if handling the surface. The selection is one of those who would ideally like more cut, but he performed well enough on good ground at Leicester last time, on his first start for a couple of years. His trainer is a master at bringing them back to further success after an absence and we hope that he can come on for that run and land this prize. Noun De La Thinte has a bit to prove after her Kempton run and she does have a good ground win to her name, though again, she is better when there is plenty of cut. Even so, she races over her optimum trip and with the mares' allowance she has to be taken very seriously. Leac An Scail has not won for well over two years but he has made the frame in four of his seven chases, and he goes well enough on good going to suggest that he may also have a say in the outcome. Frankie Anson is lightly-raced and open to improvement after just one chase thus far. This trip is no problem, but he is another who wants plenty of cut and so we'll take him on with Marcus.
Frankie Anson (IRE) 11-1 (11-0) Tracked leader, led 4 out until 3 out, led before 2 out, ridden and headed narrowly approaching last, still every chance when edged fight flat, no extra towards finish, 2nd of 5, 3l behind Herons Well (11-0) at Bangor 2m 1f beg chase (4) sft.
Leac An Scail (IRE) 15-2 (10-5) Tracked leader, lost place 3 out, soon outpaced, no impression from next, 5th of 7, 14l behind Le Beau Bai (10-13) at Bangor 3m hcp hdl (2) gs in Feb.
Marcus 15-2 (11-7) Held up, towards rear, headway 8th, led 13th until 14th, every chance 4 out, no impression from next, weakened last, 3rd of 9, 14l behind Plum Pudding (10-8) at Leicester 2m 7f hcp chs 0-125 (3) gd in Feb.
Noun De La Thinte (FR) 5-1 (11-7) Prominant, mistake 12th, soon weakened, behind when pulled up before last, in a race won by Soixante (11-10) at Kempton 2m 4f hcp chs 0-130 (3) sft in Feb, 8 ran.
