held up mid-division, took closer order 8th, driven and outpaced before 4 out, disputed 2nd from next, kept on
mid-division, struggling when jumped left 9th, soon beaten, tailed off
behind lost touch 10th, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
tracked winner to after 5 out, soon outpaced, rallied when mistake 3 out, kept on same pace, no impression
made all, ridden between last 2, stayed on well
behind, outpaced 11th, never on terms
tracked leaders, went 2nd after 5 out, ridden 3 out, kept on under pressure, no chance with winner flat
in rear, lost touch 10th, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
A decent novices' chase for the track and Nicky Henderson can gain further reward for sending his raiding party on the lengthy trip from Seven Barrows through THE POLOMOCHE, while Door Boy can emerge as the main danger. The selection was the sole finisher last time out at Leicester, where apart from his excellent round of jumping it was hard to glean much from the performance. However, he was the cheeky winner prior to that at Folkestone and it is fair to say that he has not really been tested yet over fences. He goes on any ground and this trip is ideal, and he looks cut out for a very good future as a chaser. The same might be said of Door Boy, who beat the useful Little Josh at Aintree in October and then won easily at Newcastle over three miles last time. There is scope for lots more to come on that evidence and he doesn't seem to mind the ground either, so he is likely to make a real race of it. Fiendish Flame has also scored on this ground in a Carlisle novices' chase and stayed this far over hurdles, so won't be found wanting for stamina. Nicky Henderson will have a good idea as to his merits after his Mad Max finished almost 20 lengths clear of Donald McCain's runner at Kempton in January. In itself it was still not a bad performance, though maybe he doesn't have the improvement in him of the others we have mentioned. Working Title was still going well enough at Newbury when falling and had landed his debut in good style, so even though he is the apparent second string here, stranger things have happened in racing than him being good enough to win, though he does have stamina to prove. Double Vodka goes very well at this track but will need to improve to win this, while Mr Crystal has abudant stamina, but has also had enough speed to win a chase over two miles at Wetherby, and he goes on the ground, making him a better proposition than Dar Es Salaam. A really interesting race where The Polomoche gets the nod.
Door Boy (IRE) 4-9fav (11-4) Tracked leaders, went 2nd 8th, led after 4 out, ridden 4 lengths clear last, eased towards finish, won at Newcastle 3m nov stks (3) hvy in Jan beating Fabalu (10-12) by 1 1/4l, 5 ran.
The Polomoche (IRE) 2-5fav (11-4) Led until narrowly headed 4 out, shaken up briefly and back upsides when left alone 3 out, won at Leicester 2m 4f nov stks (3) gs in Jan, 3 ran.
Dar Es Salaam 7-1 (11-6) Chased leaders, went 2nd 3 out, ridden approaching last, led flat, won at Musselburgh 2m 4f nov hcp chs 0-105 (4) gs in Nov beating Persian Prince (10-3) by 3l, 13 ran.
Double Vodka (IRE) 8-1 (11-2) Prominent, led 5th, ridden 2 out, kept on well from last, won at Catterick 2m 3f beg chs (4) sft in Dec beating The Panama Kid (11-2) by 3 1/2l, 14 ran.
Fiendish Flame (IRE) 11-4 (11-5) Led, mistake 4th, headed 6th, soon dropped to 3rd, no chance with front pair from 4 out, 3rd of 5, 20l behind Mad Max (11-0) at Kempton 2m nov chs (2) sft in Jan.
Mr Crystal (FR) 5-2 (10-13) Tracked leading pair, went 2nd 8th, shaken up to lead 2 out, ridden and kept on well flat, won at Wetherby 2m beg chs (3) gd in Oct beating Lady Pilot (10-9) by 5l, 4 ran.
Working Title (IRE) 9-1 (11-6) Close 2nd when fell 8th, in a race won by Take The Breeze (11-10) at Newbury 2m 2f nov chs (3) sft in Dec, 7 ran.
Art Bank 250-1 (10-7) Led, headed approaching 4th, not fluent next, ridden and weakened approaching 2 out, 4th of 6, 26l behind Kellystown Lad (10-12) at Musselburgh 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) gs in Dec.
Recoil (IRE) 250-1 (10-8) Held up, struggling 6th, soon lost touch, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Diamond Frontier (11-0) at Newcastle 2m beg chase (4) sft in Jan, 7 ran.
