took keen hold, tracked leaders, led 6th, narrow leader when fell 2 out
held up last, outpaced 5th, plenty to do next, stayed on outside approaching last, ran on towards finish but always held
raced wide, pressed leader, led approaching 3rd, headed 6th, chased leader, left in narrowly 2 out, edged left under pressure run-in and headed near finish
led to approaching 3rd, stayed pressing leader, ridden after 3 out, left 2nd two out, switched right approaching last, driven to lead near finish
If fit enough to do himself justice, Beyond The Pale can have the measure of Dickens, with Space Cowboy likely to capitalize if both of them run out of steam. Beyond The Pale has not been seen since making a successful debut over hurdles at Newbury in December 2002, but a patient approach by trainer Noel Chance may reap dividends this term. The son of Be My Native has always been highly thought of, and can make up for lost time. He could have done with less weight today, but only has to give two pounds to his main rival Dickens and that should be enough. The latter surprised connections slightly when opening his account over hurdles at Sandown in January, citing the strong pace and testing ground as two main reasons for his improvement. He is unlikely to get either here, and may have to play second fiddle. Space Cowboy has fitness on his side, having had two outings already this term, but he does not have the class of Beyond The Pale, who in reality could probably win this without being 100 per cent ready, and so we shall stick with the six-year-old who can go on to better things.
