DEEP PURPLE can call the tune here although there are one or two interesting opponents amongst the remaining four runners. Roman Villa enjoyed a decent season for Gordon Elliott last term but is difficult to recommend on the form that he has shown for his new connections. Mount Sandel is bred to make a chaser but he appears to have had his problems in recent times and he was due to run at Leicester on Wednesday. Peredur had three runs over hurdles on these shores and wasn't disgraced behind the likes of Art Professor and Celestial Halo. He has something to find on the book on that form but is still of definite interest. Dominican Monk completes the field and he has a mountain to climb having finished over thirty lengths behind the selection at Taunton. That was Deep Purple's second outing over fences and it was a welcome tonic to his connections following his odds-on defeat at Wetherby where he jumped poorly. Connections have high hopes for him in time and a clear round should be enough to see Deep Purple take this.
Deep Purple 5-2 (11-0) Tracked leader, led 6th, in command from 3 out, hit 2 out, eased run-in, won at Taunton 2m beg chs (4) gs in Nov beating Laredo Sound (11-0) by 3 1/2l, 9 ran.
Dominican Monk (IRE) 14-1 (11-0) Held up, hit 1st, went left 2nd, headway after 8th, went 3rd after 4 out, weakened 3 out, 3rd of 9, 33l behind Deep Purple (11-0) at Taunton 2m beg chs (4) gs in Nov.
Mount Sandel (IRE) 25-1 (11-3) Led, headed after 2nd, chased leaders, led 9th, headed 2 out, soon weakened, tailed off when pulled up 2 out in race won by Crescent Island (11-3) at Stratford 2m 4f beg chs (4) gd in Oct, 12 ran.
Roman Villa (USA) 66-1 (10-4) Mid-division, headway on inside 5th, weakened approaching 3 out, blundered 2 out, last of 12, well behind Numide (10-3) at Cheltenham 2m hcp hdl Grd 3 (1) sft in Nov.
Peredur (GER) 9-1 (11-4) Led, mistake 5th, ridden and headed 3 out, gradually faded, 6th of 14, 41l behind Celestial Halo (10-12) at Newbury 2m 3yo nov hdl (3) sft.
