mid-division, ridden 4 out, no impression
tracked leaders, led 4 out, soon ridden, headed 2 out, kept on, one pace
mid-division, ridden 4 out, no impression
prominent, lost place 12th, ridden next, soon weakened
always handy, led approaching 11th until 4 out, ridden and weakened quickly, pulled up before 2 out
tracked leaders, lost place 6th, ridden after 11th, soon weakened
led, headed approaching 11th, ridden 4 out, gradually weakened
towards rear, headway to chase leaders approaching 4 out, soon ridden, led 2 out, kept on
held up, blundered 11th and jockey lost iron briefly, lost touch 12th
mid-division, tracked leaders 12th, ridden 4 out, weakened from 2 out
tracked leaders, ridden 4 out, soon weakened
mid-division, hit 4th, ridden 4 out, soon beaten
held up, ridden 3 out, kept on from next
always towards rear, behind when pulled up before 2 out
tracked leaders when slipped up on paddock bend after 9th
always towards rear
mid-division, ridden 12th, soon beaten
mid-division, ridden 4 out, kept on one paced, no chance with leading pair
The feature event of the day has attracted a large field and as a consequence it is wide open and a real puzzle for punters to solve. The lightly raced Victor Daly gets the vote to land it for the Heather Dalton yard who have been showing signs of hitting form after a quite spell. Having obtained a chasing mark on the basis of what he had achieved over obstacles, connections opted to give him three quick runs during the winter months. He re-apperaed at Southwell last month and made a mockery of his mark of 98 and doubled up off a 17lb higher mark at Aintree recently. Racing off 126 here, the handicapper is taking no chances with him having given him a hike of 11lb for his Aintree victory but he could still be well handicapped. Newton Bridge landed a very ordinary contest at Downpatrick last time and the form has since been let down by the second. Buena Vista is likely to have been targeted at this by David Pipe, the yard having won this by subsequent Grade 1 winner Tamarinbleu last year. He has been running consistently off this mark over hurdles but might be vulnerable to an improver further down the weights. Out The Black won the final Veterans Chase of last season in April but looks exposed. Megaton is of real interest at the foot of the weights despite him having quite a hard race at Fontwell seven days ago. He made a mistake at the final obstacle there which gave the eventual winner the initiative but he is a contender for the placings. A case would be made for a large number here but Victor Daly gets the vote.
Buena Vista (IRE) 12-1 (11-12) Held up, headway approaching 3 out, ridden approaching 2 out, not quicken flat, 3rd of 15, 1 1/2l behind Liberate (11-10) at Haydock 3m hcp hdl (2) gd in May.
Snoopy Loopy (IRE) 4-1 (11-0) Chased leaders, headway 3 out, led between last 2, stayed on flat, won at Sedgefield 2m 4f hcp chs (2) gs in Apr beating Chaninbar (10-11) by 6l, 8 ran.
Out The Black (IRE) 20-1 (11-4) Chased leading quartet, mistake 3rd, headway to chase leaders 13th, went 2nd after 3 out, led 2 out, held on well run-in, won at Ascot 3m hcp chs 0-145 (2) gd in Apr beating Briery Fox (11-7) by 3/4l, 13 ran.
Oniz Tiptoes (IRE) 17-2 (10-13) Led, headed approaching 2 out, edged right and kept on same pace flat, 4th of 11, 3 1/2l behind That Look (11-5) at Market Rasen 2m 6f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gf in May.
Victor Daly (IRE) 8-1 (10-10) Tracked leaders, led 6th, clear after 5 out, ridden out towards finish, won at Aintree 3m 1f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May beating Rare Society (10-5) by 3l, 12 ran.
Little Big Horse (IRE) 25-1 (11-1) Led 2nd to 6th, remained prominent, ridden 14th, one pace from 3 out, 3rd of 12, 15l behind Victor Daly (10-10) at Aintree 3m 1f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Mcevoy (IRE) 8-1 (11-9) Always prominent, went 2nd 5th (water), led 11th, pressed from 18th, hung right and headed flat, no extra, 3rd of 7, 7l behind Super Judge (9-13) at Ludlow 3m 1f hcp chs 0-130 (3) gd in May.
Brooklyn Brownie (IRE) 9-2 (11-9) Mid-division, improved 6th, ridden and every chance 2 out, outpaced approaching last, 4th of 7, 21l behind Megaton (10-3) at Fakenham 3m hcp chs 0-125 (3) gf in May.
Twelve Paces 4-1 (11-9) Held up towards rear, pushed along halfway, outpaced 4 out, rallied after 2 out, one pace flat, 3rd of 12, 5l behind Lady Sambury (9-13) at Kelso 2m 6f nov hcp hdl 0-105 (4) gs in May.
Thistlecraft (IRE) 13-2 (11-9) Held up, headway 14th, ridden 4 out, weakened 3 out, 5th of 8, 29l behind Petitjean (11-9) at Ludlow 3m hcp chs 0-125 (3) gd in Feb.
King Of The Arctic (IRE) 20-1 (11-2) Tracked leaders, lost place 6 out, tailed off when pulled up at the last in race won by Master Sebastian (10-6) at Ayr 2m 4f hcp chs 0-130 (3) hvy in Jan, 8 ran.
I Hear Thunder (IRE) 10-1 (11-12) Mid-division, closer in 4th before 5 out, mistake next, moderate 3rd and no extra under pressure from after 3 out, 7th of 23, 27l behind Garde Champetre (12-7) at Punchestown 3m chs gd in Apr.
Commercial Express (IRE) 7-2 (10-11) Held up, ridden after 4 out, soon no impression, virtually pulled up flat, 7th of 9, well behind Clemax (11-5) at Perth 3m hcp hdl 0-120 (3) gf in May.
Newton Bridge (IRE) Evensfav (11-8) Mid-division, headway to 6th at 7th, improved to lead after 3 out, strongly pressed after last, kept on well close home, won at Downpatrick 2m 7f hcp chs 0-102 gd in May beating Mr Philosopher (10-12) by 1l, 14 ran.
Lankawi 5-1 (10-13) In touch, ridden 12th, soon outpaced, 4th of 12, 23l behind Victor Daly (10-10) at Aintree 3m 1f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Rare Society (IRE) 13-2 (10-5) Prominent, disputed lead 6th to 12th, not fluent 13th, ridden after 4 out, kept on under pressure flat, 2nd of 12, 3l behind Victor Daly (10-10) at Aintree 3m 1f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Clemax (IRE) 12-1 (11-5) Led to 9th, weakened after 3 out, 6th of 10, 28l behind Grand Slam Hero (11-7) at Stratford 3m 3f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Megaton 11-4fav (11-13) Chased leader, ridden 3 out, hit 2 out, challenged approaching last, led last, hard ridden and headed close home, 2nd of 14, nk behind Soleil Fix (11-9) at Fontwell 2m 6f hcp chs 0-110 (4) gd in May.
