held up, headway 10th, led 3 out, clear 2 out, hit last, easily
chased leaders, ridden 4 out, weakened after 3 out
chased leader to after 4 out, soon ridden, one pace from 2 out
led, ridden and headed 3 out, one pace from 2 out
held up, headway 10th, outpaced approaching 3 out, rallied and mistake last, kept on to go 2nd flat, no chance with winner
We will shortlist Thalys, Direct Flight and Tommy Spar and select Thalys. Already a three-time chase winner, Thalys ran well from a two-pound lower mark than today when second to Hakim at Stratford last time. He has earned is rating and, accordingly, is respected. Much as Direct Flight unseated rider on his chasing debut, he overjumped rather than hit the fence and, a dual hurdling winner, he looks the type to make up into a reasonable chaser, so is respected. Winning hurdler Tommy Spar ran well when a close third at Worcester two runs ago, and the longer trip than today might have counted against him last time. Woodenbridge Dream has won here, that's the upside; the downside is that he is eleven pounds above a winning mark. Finally, Euro Bleu is well-weighted on his best hurdling form, but has something to prove based on more recent efforts. Overall, then, the vote goes to Thalys.
Direct Flight (IRE) 7-2 (10-12) Held up unseated rider at the 5th in race won by Wicked Nice Fella (10-12) at Huntingdon 2m 4f nov chs (D) gs, 8 ran.
Thalys (GER) 9-4fav (10-12) Held up in touch, mistake 5th, chased winner 3 out, ridden after 2 out, switched right, switched left flat, stayed on, 2nd of 5, 1 1/2l behind Hakim (11-7) at Stratford 2m 1f hcp chs 0-120 (D) sft in Oct.
Tommy Spar 8-1 (10-13) Mid-division, headway 14th, ridden approaching 4 out, hampered 2 out, weakening when mistake last, 6th of 10, 17l behind Harry's Dream (11-12) at Ludlow 3m hcp chs 0-115 (D) gf in Oct.
Woodenbridge Dream (IRE) 4-1fav (11-1) Chased leaders, hit 7th, hit 9th when weakened and pulled up 3 out in race won by Keltic Lord (10-13) at Market Rasen 2m 6f hcp chs 0-105 (E) gf in Jul, 15 ran.
Euro Bleu (FR) 28-1 (11-1) Behind, headway 5th, weakened 13th, tailed off when pulled up 2 out in race won by Up The Pub (10-5) at Chepstow 3m nov hcp chs 0-105 (E) hvy, 9 ran.
