held up in rear, headway approaching 4th, ridden after next, stayed on towards finish
tracked leaders, raced keenly, not fluent 3rd or when losing place next, weakened 3 out
held up towards rear, headway 3rd, hit 5th, outpaced after 3 out, stayed on same pace from next
in rear, ridden 5th, stayed on flat, never dangerous
tracked leader, led 4th, clear after 3 out until next, ridden out
chased leaders, not fluent 3rd, lost place before next, rallied 5th, weakened approaching 2 out
tracked leaders, not fluent 5th, soon ridden, weakening when mistake 3 out
led until 4th, chased winner, closed 2 out, not fluent last, no impression flat
Nonrunner
Nonrunner
I'VE BEEN FRAMED was well backed before taking fourth last time but may be worth another chance to land the spoils; he's selected ahead of American Cricket and Alfloramoor. Neil King's gelding ran in a pair of strong looking novices' hurdles before making his handicap debut here last time. He drops back almost a mile in trip now having taken a close fourth that day but with conditions testing his proven stamina may come in handy, whilst a mark of 110 looks about right on balance. He's got to prove he can cope with the drop in distance but that should be reflected in the price and we're prepared to take a chance that he does. American Cricket will likely start favourite and that would appear fair. The gelding has performed with credit in both starts since returning from a lengthy absence and AP's booking catches the eye, but he is up 9lbs for defeat last time and that is reason enough for us to look elsewhere. Alforamoor has a nice racing weight and could go close if recovering from a fall last time. He's not looked a winner-in-waiting of late but that's reflected in his rating and if the ground has cut up by this point then carrying 10st8lb can only aide his cause, so he's rated best of the rest ahead of The Gloves Are Off whose Irish form would give him solid claims, but he's not shown anything like it since arriving here. Elk Trail has a rather in-and-out profile but seems to have his ideal conditions here and could improve on recent showings, Viscount Rossini drops in class and should be all the better for it whilst Magnesium hails from a yard that can land a gamble in this sort of race and needs a market check. This is a pretty competitive race and a chance is taken on I've Been Framed.
The Gloves Are Off (IRE) 6-1 (11-0) Prominent, led 5th until next, soon ridden and weakened, tailed off, 7th of 11, well behind Mohayer (11-0) at Uttoxeter 2m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) hvy in Feb.
Elk Trail (IRE) 8-1 (10-3) Mid-division, headway when hit 6th, weakened approaching 3 out, blundered 2 out, pulled up before last, in a race won by Mohayer (11-0) at Uttoxeter 2m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) hvy in Feb, 11 ran.
Viscount Rossini 33-1 (11-3) Chased leaders, weakened approaching 3 out, 8th of 17, 41l behind Share Option (10-2) at Doncaster 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-120 (3) gs in Feb.
Tifoso (FR) 28-1 (11-8) Tracked leaders, reminders after 6th, weakened from 3 out, 8th of 11, 44l behind Iconoclast (11-6) at Bangor 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) sft in Dec.
I've Been Framed (IRE) 11-4fav (11-7) Held up in last, headway after 9th, soon pushed along, stayed on under pressure flat, 4th of 9, 1 3/4l behind Sona Sasta (11-6) at Huntingdon 3m 2f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) sft in Feb.
Magnesium (USA) 5-1 (11-12) Led to 3rd, led 4th until 7th, chased leader, pushed along before 8th, weakened after next, last of 5, 48l behind One Cornetto (10-4) at Lingfield 2m hcp chs 0-115 (4) hvy in Jan.
Maggie Mathias (IRE) 12-1 (11-0) Soon held up in last pair, ridden after 4th, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Double Dash (11-9) at Lingfield 2m hcp hdl 0-110 (4) hvy in Jan, 6 ran.
Alfloramoor 4-1 (10-12) Prominent, raced keenly, jumped left 6th, jumped left and hampered and fell 7th, in a race won by Tokpela (11-5) at Uttoxeter 2m 5f nov hcp chs 0-100 (4) hvy in Jan, 10 ran.
American Cricket (IRE) 10-3fav (11-10) Mid-division, headway 6th, led after 7th, ridden, headed after 3 out, soon outpaced, rallied flat, 2nd of 12, 1 3/4l behind Ifandbutwhy (11-9) at Bangor 2m 4f nov hcp hdl (4) gs in Feb.
Dream Catcher (SWE) 10-1 (11-8) Chased leading trio, pushed along after 3 out, weakened approaching next and soon pulled up, in a race won by The Rainbow Hunter (11-1) at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl 0-120 (3) hvy in Jan, 12 ran.
