in touch, lost place before 3 out, soon beaten
held up towards rear, headway 5 out, chased leaders 3 out, blundered and unseated rider next
always behind, mistake 10th, never dangerous
tracked leaders, under pressure 11th, weakened 4 out
in touch, mistake 2nd, effort 2 out, stayed on same pace
led until 6th, mistake 11th, steadily weakened
behind, mistakes 1st and 2nd, headway before 3 out, soon ridden and effort, weakened after 2 out
tracked leaders, mistakes 10th and 12th, ridden to challenge 3 out, weakened next
tracked leaders, mistake 5th, led after 6th, 3 lengths clear when fell last
mid-division, never dangerous
held up mid-division, headway 4 out, chased leaders after 2 out, left in 2nd at last, kept on well
held up towards rear, headway 3 out, driven to challenge next, left in lead last, stayed on well
Nonrunner
Some nice horses have won this in the past and the class-act this year could be NOMECHEKI who is preferred to Polyfast and Nikos Extra. It was hard not to be impressed with the way that the selection won on his chasing bow at Plumpton, in ground that was very testing. The second home, Russian Flag, has won since, franking the form and there is every reason to think that this unexposed French recruit could still be well-treated despite an 11lb higher mark. Vodka Brook is consistent but the feeling is that he doesn't tend to see out his races as one may hope given the way he travels, Stradbrook hasn't looked a natural, a comment that also applies to Mont Present and Cockatoo on the limited evidence to date. Rodrigo Gonzales was second in this race last year, Nikos Extra has a 9lb rise in the weights for a Folkestone win, whilst Sheriff Hutton's form looks solid. Nicky Henderson has a good record in this race and he saddles two today. Wogan returns to fences after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, however of more interest may be chasing debutant Polyfast. He showed a semblance of ability over hurdles but is likely to make his mark over fences this year if taking to them. Silmi cannot be taken lightly as his form looks very solid, especially his latest run, whilst Carlitos needs a market check as this classy hurdler makes his chasing debut after 989 days on the sidelines. Not an easy race to call, however preference is for Nomecheki.
Rear Gunner (IRE) 20-1 (10-11) Tracked leaders, lost place 10th, behind from 4 out, 5th of 8, 39l behind Theatrical Moment (11-2) at Leicester 2m 4f beg chs (4) gd.
Vodka Brook (IRE) 13-8fav (11-0) Tracked leader, ridden and every chance from 3 out, led narrowly next, driven and headed and lost two places towards finish, 3rd of 5, 1/2l behind Bakbenscher (11-0) at Wincanton 2m 5f beg chs (4) hvy.
Stradbrook (IRE) 4-1 (11-12) Patiently ridden in rear but well in touch, headway into 4th 4 out, ridden and struggling after, left modest 3rd last, 3rd of 6, well behind Bertie May (10-0) at Exeter 2m 3f nov hcp chs 0-130 (3) sft in Nov.
Rodrigo Gonzales (IRE) 5-1 (11-9) With leaders, pushed along briefly 10th, not fluent 13th, soon driven and weakened, mistake 3 out, pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Tempsford (10-12) at Bangor 3m hcp chs 0-130 (3) gd in Oct, 9 ran.
Nikos Extra (FR) 3-1fav (11-4) Held up in mid-division, steady headway 11th, chased leaders from next, switched to inside to challenge last, led final 100 yards, soon clear, readily, won at Folkestone 2m 5f hcp chs 0-125 (3) gs in Nov beating Far More Serious (10-12) by 2 1/4l, 15 ran.
Sheriff Hutton (IRE) 8-1 (11-5) With leader, led 8th to 13th, led again 2 out, ridden and headed flat, kept on same pace, lost 2nd towards finish, 3rd of 14, 1 3/4l behind Justwhateverulike (10-1) at Kelso 2m 6f hcp chs 0-130 (3) gs in Nov.
Nomecheki (FR) 11-2 (11-6) Held up, steady headway approaching 4 out, went 2nd 3 out, led well before next, clear last, stayed on well, comfortably, won at Plumpton 2m 1f hcp chs 0-120 (3) hvy in Nov beating Russian Flag (11-2) by 2 1/4l, 10 ran.
Mont Present (FR) 14-1 (11-10) Held up, headway 7th, weakened after 4 out, pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Bertie May (10-10) at Chepstow 2m 3f hcp chs 0-130 (3) hvy, 9 ran.
Carlitos 8-1 (11-3) Held up in touch, pushed along and lost place after 5th, no danger after, 8th of 10, 44l behind Tidal Bay (11-5) at Aintree 2m 4f nov hdl (1) gd in Apr '07.
Dover's Hill 15-2 (11-2) Behind, hampered 2nd, headway 4 out, chased leaders next, stayed on, never able to challenge, 3rd of 10, 12l behind Khachaturian (11-2) at Kempton 3m beg chs (4) gs in Nov.
Cockatoo (USA) 28-1 (11-7) Held up in touch, under pressure 3 out, soon one pace, 5th of 8, 11l behind Doctor Pat (10-12) at Sandown 2m 4f nov hcp chs 0-125 (3) sft.
Wogan 14-1 (11-4) Held up, headway 4 out, led approaching 2 out, driven out, won at Aintree 3m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd in May '08 beating Our Jim (10-8) by 3l, 16 ran.
Polyfast (FR) 9-1 (11-11) Mid-division, headway after 6th, ridden after 3 out, 3rd when hit 2 out, weakening when mistake last, 4th of 18, 29l behind Dover's Hill (11-12) at Kempton 2m 5f nov hcp 0-115 (4) gd in Apr.
Silmi 10-1 (11-8) Held up towards rear, not fluent 6th or 8th, headway when hampered 11th, mistake 4 out, close 3rd when hit 2 out, beaten after last, stayed on same pace, 4th of 11, 4 1/2l behind Rivaliste (11-4) at Newbury 2m 2f nov hcp chs 0-125 (3) gs in Nov.
