held up, some headway 11th, lost place before next, mistake 14th, weakened after next
held up in touch, headway 11th, reminder after 12th, led next, headed approaching 4 out, close 3rd when bad mistake 4 out, soon pulled up
held up in touch, headway 14th, ridden approaching 4 out, weakened before 2 out
held up, headway 12th, squeezed through on inside to lead approaching 4 out, stayed on
led to 13th, weakened 15th, tailed off
prominent until fell 7th
held up until ran out and pulled up before 13th
always prominent, not fluent 3rd, with leader from 14th, still every chance last, no extra flat
Bacardi Boy may be the safest option over Sunshan, with Pillar of Fire best of the rest. Most of these have blotted their copybook at some point, so it is with no great confidence that Bacardi Boy is selected. However, he has shown enough on occasions to warrant support, and a repeat of his third over the course and distance in January would definitely be enough. Sunshan was a beaten favourite at Exeter eight days ago, with the drop back to a shorter trip not helping his cause. He gets weight off the others and the longer journey should help. He is seen as the main danger, with Pillar of Fire also worth a mention. The Ian Williams-trained ten-year-old does not have as much scope as some of the others but is on a decent mark at present. He can make the frame but for the winner we return to Bacardi Boy.