tracked leaders, hit 2nd, challened 2 out, led last, soon ridden, kept on, headed near finish
tracked leader, hit 8th, ridden and weakened after 3 out
held up in rear and keen, headway approaching 2 out, ridden and switched to farside rail, kept on to lead near finish
held up in touch, pushed along approaching 8th, behind and weakened approaching 3 out
led and took keen hold, not fluent 1st, ridden and headed last, flashed tail flat, no extra final 100 yards
held up towards rear, not fluent 3rd, headway after 6th, went 3rd approaching 3 out, mistake and weakened last
Glaced Over is immediately passed up with only poor form to go on, but more of a threat is likely to be Now This Is It. He came second in this race last year and is likely to be thereabouts at the finish. Bertie Milan is unexposed but has won a point-to-point in Ireland and this trip should be ideal. He is worth considering but our pick is ANY GIVEN DAY. The selection has raced against much tougher opposition than this including valuable races at Newbury and Cheltenham. He handles a variety of ground conditions and he has won here before. Grand Zouki is likely to appreciate the test of stamina towards the finish here and although a disappointing third in a failed attempt to confirm placings with Cailin Na Ri at Sedgefield last time, he should go close. Strongpoint is very hit-and-miss but has to be respected on the pick of his ability. However, we side with Any Given Day in what is a small field but nonetheless a competitive looking race.
Any Given Day (IRE) 14-1 (10-12) Prominent main group, chased leaders 2 out, soon ridden, weakened last, 14th of 28, 20l behind Thousand Stars (10-5) at Cheltenham 2m 1f hcp hdl G3 (1) gd in Mar.
Grand Zouki (FR) 11-10fav (11-12) Tracked leader, not fluent 6th, slightly hampered by pulled up horse after 3 out, soon ridden and back in 4th, held when left 3rd last, 3rd of 9, 6l behind Cailin Na Ri (10-12) at Sedgefield 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) gd in Sep.
Now This Is It (IRE) 9-1 (11-11) Held up towards rear, not fluent 4th, ridden and effort after 3 out, no impression, weakened approaching 2 out, 8th of 17, 30l behind Palomar (10-10) at Market Rasen 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-150 (2) gd in Sep.
Bertie Milan (IRE) 20-1 (11-2) Chased leaders, weakened over 5f out, 6th of 15, 26l behind Aikman (10-9) at Perth 2m NH flat (6) gf in May.
Strongpoint (IRE) 7-1 (11-5) Led and clear, headed 6th, on terms again 6 out and led before 3 out, clear approaching straight, mistake 2 out, soon reduced lead, kept on under pressure run-in, held on, won at Limerick 2m 6f chs gd in Jul beating Lucky At Last (11-7) by 1/2l, 9 ran.
Glaced Over 9-1 (9-12) Led and set very slow pace, took keen hold, ran wide on paddock bend after 2nd and headed, tracked leaders, saddle slipped after next, pulled after 5th, in a race won by Supercede (11-4) at Perth 3m nh nov hdl (4) sft in Sep, 4 ran.
