jumped well, led until 2nd, prominent, led 6th, well clear 4 out, impressive
led 2nd, jumped right next, blundered and headed 6th, chased winner, mistake 5 out, soon weakened, left poor 4th last
in touch until 7th, soon behind, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out
chased leaders, ridden approaching 4 out, weakened approaching 2 out, poor 4th when fell last
held up in touch, good headway 10th, ridden after 4 out, kept on, lost 2nd close home
held up, mistake 2nd, headway 10th, outpaced next, stayed on well from 3 out, no chance with winner
behind from 11th, tailed off
held up, some headway 10th, weakened after next
chased leaders until 6th, ridden 8th, weakened 11th, tailed off
Leading Hennessy hope Strong Flow tunes up here and is hard to oppose, with Caribbean Cove and Dun An Doras booked for the places. The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding is a strong fancy for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday week, despite falling at Aintree last month. He faces eight rivals here and must give 8lb or more away, but should still take all the beating. The main plan according to Nicholls is for him to get round in one piece, and as he would not receive a penalty, the Hennessy is almost certainly where he will line up next, although nothing is certain yet. Ruby Walsh takes over in the saddle from Joe Tizzard and can keep up his good run for the stable. Caribbean Cove picked up two minor wins over hurdles in the spring before being rested for a chase career. In the colours of Trevor Hemmings, he will be expected to pay his way this season. Dun An Doras missed the break on his chase debut at Towcester but finished a close second, and, already a winner here over hurdles, looks set to play a major part for place purposes. It is just unfortunate for the last two mentioned that Strong Flow lines up, but racegoers get the chance to see a class act who hopefully will prove that his latest lapse was just that.
