raced keen tracking leaders, ridden and weakened approaching 2 out
raced keen, held up, behind from 5th, soon pulled up
tracked leaders, ridden over 2 out, led last, driven out flat
held up going well, headway 5th, led 2 out, headed and every chance approaching last, weakened close home
led and hit 1st and 4th, ridden next, headed and jumped right 2 out, soon weakened
held up, headway 5th, ridden and weakened well over 2 out
tracked leader, ridden and weakened approaching 2 out
The Paul Nicholls-trained Le Duc certainly deserves to win a race of this nature having been unlucky to find one too good in each of his three starts in this country, most latterly behind Don Fernando at Cheltenham last week. However, no horse that ran at the Open meeting has come out and won since, suggesting that the runners there had hard races, so we would rather look elsewhere. Toby Balding's Silver Charter caught the eye in defeat behind Mark It over course and distance last time and warrants respect but would prefer a softer surface. With none of the newcomers from the flat, of who the Ian Williams-trained Cereus and Sylvester Kirk's Duke Of Earl look the most likely types, appealing much on their hurdling debuts the TEAMtalk selection is Tim Easterby's Tunstall. An impressive winner at Wetherby on his first start over hurdles, the son of Bahri failed to reproduce the form on a softer surface at the same track subsequently - although still running well in defeat. Back on good ground here, we take the Northern raider to return to winning ways.
