held up towards rear, pushed along approaching 3rd, weakened 5th, pulled up before 6th
held up in mid-division, headway to track leaders 4th, weakened after 2 out
towards rear, pushed along approaching 6th, never dangerous
held up towards rear, headway approaching 6th, led approaching 2 out, headed approaching last, no chance with winner
tracked leaders, weakened after 5th, pulled up before last, tailed off
chased leaders, weakened 6th, tailed off
with leader, pushed along approaching 6th, soon weakened
held up in touch, chased leaders from 5th, left 2nd 2 out, led approaching last, soon clear
held up in rear, weakened 6th, tailed off when pulled up before last
led, headed narrowly when fell 2 out
A trappy affair for the punters to solve and CURRAHEE can land it at the expense of Federstar and Sibenek. Maurice Barnes' gelding seems to appreciate plenty of give underfoot and he was going well when exiting at Wetherby in a similarly competitive race in December. The assessor has been a little naughty in putting him up 5lb since but the formlines are cogent and he looks worthy of a punt at the likely odds. Federstar ran creditably at Ffos Las and seems to find two miles and two miles four alike. Sibenek is a potential dark horse. Martin Todhunter's horses are running well of late and he puts cheekpieces onto this ex-Irish horse for the first time. Terenzium seldom runs a bad race though this has made him easy for the handicapper to get a handle upon him. Teenage Idol and Harmony Brig have taken on much better opposition than this in the past so it can be argued that they are actually dropping in class. In the case of the former, the decision was rather obvious given his poor jumping over the larger obstacles. Thatlldoforme is at the bottom of the handicap and cannot be crabbed for his recent victory at Newcastle. The pace setting Kempski finishing behind. Woody Valentine is something of a law unto himself and while his form is nothing to write home about, if he consents to put his best foot forward, he could have a say in the outcome of this prize. The most difficult race on the card and for that reason, Currahee is put forward to minimal levels of confidence.
Harmony Brig (IRE) 7-1 (11-12) Led after 1st, headed before 3 out, soon weakened, 5th of 7, 40l behind Dancing Dik (11-0) at Wetherby 3m 1f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) sft in Feb.
Teenage Idol (IRE) 66-1 (10-10) Mid-division, hampered 8th, ridden before 3 out, weakened and mistake 2 out, 15th of 18, well behind Alfie Sherrin (11-4) at Newbury 3m hcp hdl 0-140 (2) gs in Feb.
Currahee 10-1 (10-3) In touch, chased leaders approaching 2 out, kept on same pace from last, 3rd of 13, 2 1/2l behind Open de L'Isle (10-9) at Hexham 2m hcp hdl 0-135 (3) hvy in Dec.
Cool Operator 18-1 (11-9) Close up, weakened approaching 3 out, 9th of 12, 32l behind Balzaccio (11-8) at Huntingdon 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gs in Dec.
Woody Valentine (USA) 11-2 (10-9) Held up mid-division, weakened from 5 out, tailed off, 7th of 9, 40l behind Ockey De Neulliac (10-12) at Catterick 2m nov chs 0-115 (4) gs in Feb.
Terenzium (IRE) 10-1 (10-13) Held up in touch, ridden 3 out, headway next, kept on to go 4th flat, 4th of 14, 11l behind Ramsden Boy (10-3) at Ayr 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd.
Front Rank (IRE) 33-1 (11-6) Held up mid-division, never a factor, 7th of 12, 50l behind Waterloo Corner (10-9) at Sedgefield 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gd.
Federstar (GER) 15-2 (10-7) Held up in touch, headway to track leaders approaching 5th, challenged 3 out, chased winner approaching last, kept on, held towards finish, 2nd of 7, 1/2l behind National Trust (11-7) at Ffos Las 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) sft.
Kempski 16-1 (11-12) Led to after 5th, with leader, lost place 3 out, soon weakened, 5th of 11, 28l behind Thatlldoforme (10-8) at Newcastle 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) sft.
Thatlldoforme 5-2fav (10-8) Held up behind, steady headway after 4 out, went 2nd next, hard ridden to lead flat, kept on, won at Newcastle 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) sft beating Top Brass (10-0) by 1/2l, 11 ran.
Mini Minster 7-1 (10-13) Tracked winner, took closer order from 6th, outpaced after 2 out, no impression, 2nd of 11, 7l behind Overbranch (10-4) at Hexham 2m cnd hcp hdl 0-110 (4) gd.
Sibenek (IRE) 12-1 (11-4) Held up in rear, not fluent 3rd, ridden before 8th, well beaten 3 out, pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Tarateeno (10-2) at Warwick 3m 1f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) sft in Jan, 10 ran.
