tracked leaders, headway approaching 3 out, soon ridden, weakening when blundered last
mid-division, tracked leaders approaching 3 out, led 2 out, driven flat
mid-division, weakened from 7th, behind and pulled up before 3 out
tracked leader, ridden 3 out, soon weakened
always behind, lost touch 7th, pulled up before 3 out
towards rear, chased leaders 8th, ridden 3 out, kept on one pace
led and soon clear, 10 lengths clear approaching 3 out, ridden after next, soon headed and weakened
always behind
mid-division until ridden and weakened approaching 3 out
mid-division, weakened and pulled up after 4 out
mid-division until weakened from 7th
mid-division, ridden 3 out, soon beaten, blundered last
tracked leader, ridden 3 out, chased winner from next, kept on one pace
CHORD is eased significantly in class and is fancied to have too many guns for Starbougg, Spellchecker and King Of The Titans. The last named won a bumper at Kilarney during the summer and has then shown an aptitude for jumping in three subsequent starts. It has to be of interest that he travels across the Irish Sea for the modest prize money on offer, so any each-way support would be dangerous to ignore. Spellchecker is another that has scope for improvement and comes here on the back of a most encouraging run at Newcastle last month. He is stoutly-bred, so should cope with the step up in distance. Starbougg, who conversely is not ideally bred for the winter game, has defied her pedigree and gets two-and-a-half miles well. Quite whether she can do so against the boys remains to be seen. Still, she has all the allowances in her favour today, so has to merit consideration on these terms. However, Chord has already coped well against a higher calibre of opponent and, assuming he runs to that form, Donald McCain's contender can be given a live chance of getting off the mark in this company.
Chord 33-1 (10-12) Led, not fluent 4th, headed next, soon reminders and outpaced, kept on from 3 out, 3rd of 5, 4 1/2l behind Binocular (11-6) at Haydock 2m 4yo hdl (2) gd in Nov.
Divers (FR) 9-1 (11-0) Mid-division, close up 3 out, ridden approaching next, every chance last, no extra flat, 2nd of 14, 2l behind Caravel (11-0) at Musselburgh 2m mdn hdl (5) gf.
Even Smarter 150-1 (10-7) Behind, struggling 4 out, never dangerous, 10th of 11, well behind Its Tough (11-0) at Perth 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) gs in Sept.
King Of The Titans (IRE) 16-1 (11-5) Chased leaders, 4th halfway, ridden in 5th 3 out, soon no extra and weakened, 7th of 11, 39l behind Jimmy Ber (11-12) at Thurles 2m 2f hdl sft in Nov.
Masters House (IRE) 200-1 (10-10) Mid-division, reminders 5th, ridden and weakened 4 out, tailed off, 8th of 10, well behind Gray Mountain (11-9) at Kelso 2m 6f hdl (3) gd in Oct.
Percutant (FR) 66-1 (10-12) Always behind, 13th of 16, well behind Bolodenka (10-12) at Newcastle 2m nov hdl (4) gs in Nov.
Spellchecker (IRE) 4-1 (10-12) In touch, every chance 2 out, upsides last, no extra towards finish, 3rd of 16, 1 1/2l behind Burnt Oak (10-12) at Newcastle 2m nov hdl (4) gs in Nov.
Almond Court (IRE) 20-1 (10-5) Held up in rear, raced wide, blundered 5th, soon weakened, tailed off when pulled up at the last in race won by Letterpress (10-12) at Hexham 2m nh nov hdl (4) hvy in Nov, 6 ran.
And Whatever Else (IRE) (12-0) won at Rockfield 3m ire ptp sft in Nov beating Brown Eyes Dream (12-0) by 5l, 9 ran.
Ballymurphy Lady (IRE) 50-1 (10-11) Mid-division best, 20th of 25, well behind Cockleshell Road (11-2) at Fairyhouse 2m nhf hvy in Dec '07.
Ella Maccadella 200-1 (10-3) Always behind, 14th of 16, well behind River Shanakill (10-10) at Newcastle 2m 4f mrs mdn hdl (5) gs in Nov.
Romance Dance 3-1 (10-10) Tracked leaders, led briefly approaching 4th, ridden approaching 3 out, 5th and held when blundered 2 out, 5th of 12, 24l behind Easter Legend (10-7) at Exeter 2m 3f mrs nov hdl (4) hvy in Nov.
Starbougg 14-1 (10-10) Behind, headway halfway, chased leaders 3 out, soon ridden, stayed on to go 2nd towards finish, no chance winner, 2nd of 16, 6l behind River Shanakill (10-10) at Newcastle 2m 4f mrs mdn hdl (5) gs in Nov.
