chased leaders, went 2nd at 6th, mistake 13th, not fluent next, soon lost place, rallied 4 out, weakened 2 out
made all, jumped well throughout, clear 2 out, ran on well
tracked leader, lost place 6th, under pressure 5 out, soon beaten
chased leaders, jumped right, mistake 9th, headway to go 2nd 8th, effort 4 out, stayed on same pace
River D'Or has gone close on a couple of occasions over the larger obstacles but he's had nine starts over fences now and was tailed off at Cheltenham last time. Thelobstercatcher hasn't really taken to chasing but GOLDEN CHIEFTAIN has a couple of wins to his name and, though he beat little of note last time, could be good enough to concede weight to his three rivals as he will have no problem with the trip. The danger is Mr Hudson, who has won a bumper and a hurdle and will appreciate the step up in distance after finishing second over 2m3f at Taunton in December.
Golden Chieftain (IRE) 2-9fav (11-7) Made all, clear 4th, not quite fluent 2 out, unchallenged, won at Wincanton 3m 1f nov chs (3) gs beating Timmies Gone (10-7) by 36l, 3 ran.
Mr Hudson (IRE) 3-1 (11-5) Tracked leader, every chance 3 out, hard ridden approaching last, stayed on well, 2nd of 5, 2 1/2l behind Oldrik (10-13) at Taunton 2m 3f Novice Handicap Chase (0-135) (4yo+) (3) gd in Dec.
River D'or (FR) 25-1 (10-0) In touch, lost place 8th, behind from 12th, tailed off, 10th of 16, well behind Bless The Wings (11-2) at Cheltenham 2m 5f nov chs (2) gs in Jan.
Thelobstercatcher 50-1 (10-10) Held up towards rear on outside, headway 5th, weakened after 9th, tailed off, 13th of 15, well behind Knock A Hand (11-1) at Newbury 3m hcp hdl 0-145 (2) gs in Feb.
