made all, shaken up approaching last, ran on well flat, ridden out
chased winner throughout, ridden approaching last, kept on flat
always well behind, hit 2nd, never dangerous
Just four line-up here and Lirfox can shoulder top weight to deny the sometimes quirky Brother Joe. The Martin Pipe-trained six-year-old has won both her chase starts in emphatic fashion and has jumped really well in the main for a novice. The mare will love bouncing off the fast ground and should not see another rival from flagfall if all goes to plan. Brother Joe has been a very talented hurdler, winning in Grade 2 company and is a potent threat to the selection. His fencing was not at all fluent on debut at Worcester, though he did seem to have put that right when hacking up there last time out. The nine-year-old is likely to be ridden in behind Lirfox and produced towards the finish, but any technical problems will be exposed by the mare here. The others are merely running for third, which should go to Joe Cullen, but the selection - to lead them all a merry dance - is Lirfox.
