tracked leaders, pushed along 13th, weakened quickly 15th, behind when pulled up before next
held up in mid-division, headway halfway to track leaders, led 3 out, ridden out
close up, mistake 11th, pushed along 6 out, ridden and weakened after next
towards rear, weakened after 9th, tailed off and pulled up before 12th
made most, ridden approaching 4 out, headed 3 out, kept on
in touch, headway halfway to track leader, ridden 5 out, weakened next
behind, blundered 4th, blundered and unseated rider 9th
With the Tom George stable returning to form, Toulouse-Lautrec is worth following here, with All Sonsilver and the Howard Johnson pair Lord Capitaine and Dionn Righ potential dangers. The latter has the assistance of Graham Lee, so despite having to hump topweight in the heavy ground, will be expected to show up well, with Paddy Aspell riding the stable's other runner Lord Capitaine. They both may struggle to contain Toulouse-Lautrec though, as he bids to go one better than his recent second at Chepstow 12 days ago. An out-and-out stayer, he was pulled up at Cheltenham on New Years Day on what was his first outing since scoring at Uttoxeter in December 2002. The eight-year-old improved markedly on that effort when chasing home Ballybrophy at Chepstow, and should now be spot on to run a big race with conditions to suit. The main danger appears to be All Sonsilver who himself has improved with each run this term, coming good over two and a half miles here a fortnight ago. He ploughed through the heavy ground with ease that day, and although idling in front, gave the impression that there was a lot more to come. The step up in trip will not be a problem, and he is set to run a big race. However, for the winner, we still prefer the claims of Toulouse-Lautrec, who is already fully proven at the trip.
