prominent, dropped to midfield 14th, soon ridden, weakened before 2 out, tailed off approaching last
held up in rear, headway and ridden before 2 out where slightly hampered by faller, 4 lengths 3rd approaching last, stayed on run-in, took 2nd near finish
held up in rear, ridden before 2 out, soon outpaced, kept on one pace approaching last
midfield, briefly ridden before 13th, slow jump 3 out, soon ridden in rear, hampered by faller before 2 out, tailed off before last
held up in rear, not fluent 7th, mistake 10th, headway before 13th, ridden and disputing 2nd when mistake and fell 2 out
prominent, a length down 3 out, soon ridden, disputing 2nd when left chasing leader 2 out, 2 lengths down approaching last, kept on one pace run-in, lost 2nd near finish
jumped slightly right at times, made all, a length ahead 3 out, soon went clear, diminishing advantage when jumping right 2 out, soon ridden, 2 lengths clear approaching last where jumped right, stayed on run-in, reduced lead near finish but always doing enough
NonRunner
A good contest in which nothing can be discounted with conviction, so it may be a case of looking for possible negatives. Up Helly Aa King may need this first run of the campaign and has topweight to deal with, and Just Don‘t Know is on a highest-ever rating and may need this too. Ned Tanner is solid but may possibly be better over further and High Moon pulled up at Carlisle just over a fortnight ago. Cardamon Hill is interesting but has yet to score over fences and therefore the focus falls upon the bottom three in the weights. The choice is RED HAPPY who finally came back to winning form last time but is still way below his highest career rating. He may be worth a shot here on stable debut, although the reliable Massini Man and last-time scorer Return Fire are clear dangers in an open race.
Just Don't Know (IRE) 11-2 (12-0) Led, mistake 6th, headed and remained handy 8th, not fluent 3 out, pressed leader 2 out, soon ridden, led approaching last, soon challenged and headed narrowly run-in, kept on, always held, 2nd of 8, 1/2l behind Exit To Where (10-13) at Kelso 2m 7f hcp (4) gd in May.
Ned Tanner (IRE) 7-1 (11-5) Held up, dropped to last 9th but in touch, rallied and chased leaders from 3 out, went fourth before last, weakened and dropped to 5th run-in, 5th of 9, 8 1/4l behind Guetapan Collonges (12-0) at Carlisle 3m hcp (3) sft in Oct.
High Moon 11-1 (11-12) Mid-division, struggling from 4 out, pulled up before 2 out, at Carlisle 2m 4f hcp (4) gs in Oct.
Cardamon Hill (IRE) 25-1 (11-9) Mid-division, headway tracking leader 3 out, soon pushed along and outpaced, plugged on from last, 5th of 15, 7l behind Hello Judge (10-6) at Carlisle 2m 4f hcp (4) gs in Oct.
Massini Man 11-2 (11-12) Prominent, untidy 4th, chased leaders from 3 out, every chance before 2 out, not pace of front pair and dropped to third after final fence, weakened near finish, 3rd of 9, 10l behind One Mill Harbour (11-10) at Carlisle 2m hcp (4) sft in Oct.
Return Fire (IRE) 5-6fav (12-0) Made all, set steady early tempo, jumped well throughout, asserted after 2 out, raced wide when faced challenge off home turn, ridden inside final furlong on run-in, kept on, always doing enough near finish, won at Hexham 2m 4f hcp (5) sft in Oct beating En Meme Temps (11-7) by 2 3/4l, 5 ran.
Red Happy (FR) 8-11fav (11-10) Disputed lead, led clearly after 7th, joined from 4 out, asserted between last two, stayed on well, won at Exeter 2m 3f hcp (5) gf in Oct beating Getthepot (11-2) by 4 3/4l, 6 ran.
Up Helly Aa King 7-2fav (11-13) Towards rear, bit closer in mid-division after 7th, pushed along before 4 out, headway into 3rd 3 out, went 2nd 2 out, stayed on same pace, not fluent last, no chance with winner, 2nd of 10, 4 1/4l behind Flying Verse (10-9) at Doncaster 3m hcp (3) gd in Mar.
