tracked leader, some headway on inner and disputed lead at halfway, slow jump and dropped to chase leader 10th, going okay when pecked on landing 4 out, soon ridden and weakened from 3 out
jumped right throughout, led, joined halfway, good jump and led narrowly 10th, headed 2 out when hampered, not recover
held up in mid-division, hit 12th, shaken up and ridden before 3 out, soon every chance, edged left when led narrowly 2 out, kept on well flat, always doing enough
raced in last, going best when shaken up before 3 out, ridden and headway on outer approaching 2 out, not fluent when every chance and slightly hampered at final fence, kept on well inside final 150yds, always held
close up, mistake 10th, shaken up approaching 4 out, hit 3 out when every chance, not recover and held from 2 out
Reine Fee is full exposed and not easy to catch right but Astra Via won over this trip at Leicester two runs ago. BARDEN BELLA probably didn’t last home over 3m2f at Cheltenham last time and is better judged on an earlier wide-margin win at Hereford. She is still 9lb higher but looks the one to beat as it may not pay to take the form of Stamina Chope’s Sedgefield success too literally and Lost In Montmartre is returning from a break.
Barden Bella (IRE) 6-5fav (10-10) Led but pressed, jumped right 1st, not fluent and headed 9th, led 13th, headed 3 out, led again final bend, headed 2 out, held when not fluent last, lost further ground on winner flat, 2nd of 6, 12l behind Madera Mist (10-1) at Cheltenham 3m 2f hcp (3) gd in Apr.
Lost In Montmartre (FR) 4-6fav (10-1) Pressed leader, led 2nd, joined 9th, headed narrowly 4 out, ridden before 2 out, soon one pace, 2nd of 3, 6 1/2l behind Neville's Cross (11-12) at Hereford 2m 5f hcp (3) gd in Nov.
Reine Fee (IRE) 22-1 (10-0) Mid-division, bad mistake 11th, pushed along in rear after 12th, ridden and headway into 5th before 3 out, kept on but not pace to challenge, 4th of 9, 7l behind Midnightreferendum (11-3) at Haydock 2m 6f hcp (2) gs in Apr.
Astra Via 7-1 (11-9) Raced wide close up, reminders 6th, soon lost place, not trouble leaders, 4th of 6, 28 1/2l behind You Say Nothing (11-4) at Sedgefield 2m 1f hcp (5) gs in Mar.
Stamina Chope (FR) 11-1 (10-10) In rear, headway to press leader briefly 3 out, pushed along home turn, ridden to lead approaching last, kept on well flat, won at Sedgefield 2m 5f hcp (4) gs in Apr beating Moonlight Glory (11-3) by 7l, 4 ran.
