held up, smooth headway from 3 out to lead 2 out, ridden approaching last, headed and no extra flat
led, headed approaching 3 out, soon ridden and weakened from last
tracked leader, headway and every chance approaching 3 out, soon ridden and weakened from last
tracked leaders, hit 4th, headway and every chance 3 out, ridden next, hit last and no extra flat
towards rear, ridden 3 out, soon chased leaders, one pace from last
mid-division, blundered 3rd, ridden approaching 3 out, kept on well to lead flat
held up towards rear, blundered 5th, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened after 2 out
Jake Black can get the better of Mr Lear, Archirondel and Transit, with Kimbambo not out out of it either. A quite competitive handicap can go the way of Jake Black, whose stable had a winner at Wetherby on Wednesday with Aleron. He was rather fortunate to score but his stablemate should not need any luck to make a bold bid here. The four-year-old was just kept ticking over on the Flat, with at the most, two outings each month, gaining successes at Pontefract and York. He absolutely bolted up when put back over hurdles at Wetherby in October, and then was not beaten far when third at Haydock, trying to give weight to the first two. He handled fast ground on the Flat so will not be bothered by conditions here and makes most appeal. In contrast, Mr Lear who was in good form in soft ground last February, might find conditions too fast today, and will be all the better for his return to timber. Transit was never serious at Kelso but should not be ruled out on earlier efforts, with Graham Lee back in the saddle, while Kimbambo needs to brush up his jumping. A tentative vote goes to Jake Black.
