held up, ridden 4 out, no impression on leaders
held up, ridden and some progress 9th, weakened 3 out
mid-division, ridden and slightly outpaced 12th, staying on until weakened 2 out and jumped left last
tracked leaders, ridden 12th, soon weakened, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out
led, headed 4th, led again after 5th, headed again 12th and outpaced, stayed on to take 2nd, line
held up, headway 11th, weakened 3 out
tracked leaders, led 4th, headed after 5th, led again 12th, clear and in command approaching last, eased towards finish
held up, headway 9th, ridden 3 out, one pace from 2 out
tracked leaders, lost place 8th, mistake 10th, tailed off and pulled up 3 out
towards rear, headway after 8th, mistake next, soon weakened
Keepatem ran creditably but was well held in the Midlands National when last seen and may struggle to give weight away all round on his reappearance, with preference for Mort De Rire who gets the vote over Cousin Nicky. The last mentioned got no further than the first fence on his reappearance and may have needed his next start as a confidence booster but, following that effort, the Phillip Hobbs-trained gelding should be spot on now and he has to be respected. Oliver Sherwood's Brumous may be a shade high in the weights but is less exposed than most of these and has to be considered. Randwick Roar probably needs some help from the handicapper, while Leading Authority is less exposed than most of these but needs to improve on recent form to trouble the judge. The vote then goes to Mort De Rire, who ran creditably on his return at Kempton last month and, with improvement anticipated, Robert Alner's gelding gets the vote.
Keepatem (IRE) 9-1 (10-1) Held up towards rear, headway 18th, mistake 19th, weakened approaching 4 out, 5th of 18, 28l behind Baron Windrush (10-9) at Uttoxeter 4m 1f lst hcp chs (1) sft in Mar.
Cousin Nicky 9-2 (11-1) Chased leaders, hit 4 out, weakened next, 5th of 9, 19l behind Officier De Reserve (11-7) at Newbury 2m 6f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs.
Randwick Roar (IRE) 8-1 (10-11) Behind, pushed along 11th, in rear when brought down 5 out in race won by Black Hills (11-5) at Kempton 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in Nov, 10 ran.
Sherwoods Folly 4-1 (11-2) Mid-division, struggling from halfway, tailed off, 10th of 12, well behind Pass It On (11-2) at Market Rasen 2m 6f beg chs (4) gs in Nov.
Mort De Rire (FR) 8-1 (10-11) Held up, steady headway 10th, chased leaders after 4 out, one pace, 4th of 10, 12l behind Black Hills (11-5) at Kempton 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in Nov.
Brumous (IRE) 10-1 (10-10) Always towards rear, tailed off when pulled up 2 out in race won by Principe Azzurro (10-11) at Bangor 3m hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in Nov, 13 ran.
Leading Authority (IRE) 11-1 (10-12) In touch, not fluent 8th, ridden and outpaced 13th, stayed on from 3 out, 3rd of 9, 7l behind Minella Tipperary (10-12) at Exeter 2m 7f nov chs (3) gs in Nov.
Noble Action 11-4jt-fav (11-9) Soon chasing leader, hit 9th, led 13th, headed 2 out, no extra when hit last, 2nd of 9, 8l behind Victor Daly (10-6) at Lingfield 3m hcp chs 0-110 (4) gd in Nov.
Nelson (FR) 14-1 (10-12) Mid-division, headway after 3 out, stayed on after last, 3rd of 12, 12l behind Cruising River (11-5) at Ascot 3m hcp chs 0-130 (3) gs in Nov.
Macmar (FR) 6-1 (11-12) Towards rear, reminders after 11th, ridden approaching 4 out, staying on when hampered 2 out, no further impression, 5th of 11, 11l behind Alcatras (10-7) at Exeter 3m 1f hcp chs 0-110 (4) gf in Oct.
