hld up, chsd ldr fr 13th, shk up and led last, sn clr, readily
w ldr, j.s 4th, rdn and wknd q 14th, p.u bf next, b.b.v
j.l throughout, sn t.o, p.u bf 13th
led, rdn and hdd last, sn no ch w wnr
Judging by the support he received before winning at Ascot recently, Chicuelo lost few followers after his disappointing effort in the Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Cheltenham on his previous run, and there are likely to be plenty willing to take the odds-on again here. The seven-year-old will relish the cut in the ground, and excepting Cheltenham, certainly travels well in his races and he should be able to give weight away all around and pick up another win here. Having said that, Over The Storm was bought by Henrietta Knight with a big reputation, and he did nothing to alter that with a ready success at Doncaster first time out. This is another flat track, which should suit, and he could be anything according to his trainer, but on this occasion his lack of experience might just find him out when compared to the selection. Alan King-trained Gola Supreme showed he can handle cut when runner up to the useful The Villager at Bangor in November and was in the process of running a big race when unshipping his pilot five out at Uttoxeter last time. Providing he can cut out that sort of mistake then he too can figure in what is an intriguing contest. Surprising is another with ability, particularly over hurdles, and he is just taking that little bit longer to get the hang of the bigger obstacles. His defeat by Jaloux D'Estruval at Hereford was not a bad piece of form (the winner went well at Doncaster again the other day), and if he jumps better his hurdles speed would make him a threat.
