held up, outpaced 4 out, headway after 3 out, went poor 3rd after 2 out, jumped left last, no impression
tracked leaders, weakened from 2 out
held up towards rear, never dangerous
led to 4th, weakened 3 out
held up, weakened after 4 out
tracked leader, led 4th, headed 3 out, not fluent last, no extra
chased leaders, led 3 out, kept on well from last
tracked leaders, weakened approaching 3 out
prominent, no impression from 2 out
mid-division, ridden 3 out, no impression
RANJOBAIE proved there was no such thing as a certainty when making a hash of the last at Leicester but he can make amends by getting the better of Notus De La Tour and Beau Fighter. Jumping has to be a concern for supporters of Nicky Henderson's gelding but the form of his run at Warwick looks even better now than it did at the time in light of the winner's exploits. He was in the process of justifying his position in the market when coming to grief in the East Midlands and has the ability to account for this field. Notus De La Tour appears to be the chief danger on paper as he has plenty of experience over hurdles to his name in France. He was a ready winner at Auteuil early last month and merits respect on debut for his new yard. Myshkin showed some promise on debut, Firedog, Forest Rhythm and Blue Tango are of interest but Beau Fighter could be next best as he makes his hurdling bow for a yard going well. He was a fair sort on the level for Chris Wall and should win races for this yard but he could struggle to match strides with Ranjobaie.
Beau Fighter 13-8fav (9-1) Mid-division, driven and headway well over 1f out, never on terms, 3rd of 8, 6l behind Racing Hero (8-13) at Doncaster 1m 2f hcp 0-80 (4) gs in Oct (flat).
Beau Lake (IRE) 40-1 (10-12) Prominent and keen, blundered 1st, led approaching and fell 4th, in a race won by Dot's Delight (10-5) at Fontwell 2m 4f cond nov hdl 4yo+ (4) gs in Nov, 15 ran.
Bridge of Fermoy (IRE) 66-1 (10-5) Held up, ridden 4 out, weakened next, 5th of 9, 19l behind Tri Nations (10-8) at Fakenham 2m nh nov hdl (4) gf in May.
Firedog (IRE) 40-1 (10-12) Tracked leaders, ridden approaching 2 out, soon one pace, 7th of 17, 19l behind Somersby (10-12) at Kempton 2m NH nov hdl 4-6yo (4) gd in Nov '08.
Forest Rhythm (IRE) 100-1 (10-9) Mid-division, headway 3 out, soon no impression, 11th of 15, well behind Duke Of Lucca (11-5) at Newbury 2m 3f NH nov hdl 4-6yo (4) hvy in Dec.
King Richard (IRE) 14-1 (11-2) Always in rear, struggling 4f out, tailed off, 10th of 11, 39l behind Kaybeew (11-2) at Plumpton 2m 2f NH flat (5) hvy in Nov.
Ranjobaie (FR) 2-5fav (10-7) In touch, joined leaders going well approaching 2 out, led approaching last, looked sure to win when fell, in a race won by Makhzoon (10-12) at Leicester 2m cond nov hdl 4yo+ (4) hvy in Dec, 13 ran.
Notus De La Tour (FR) (11-0) won at Auteuil(FR) 2m 2f hdl hvy in Dec beating Spring Silver (10-12) by 20l, 17 ran.
Sahara Sunshine 20-1 (9-8) Slowly into stride, in rear, wide into straight over 3f out, some headway soon after, driven and weakened over 1f out, 7th of 12, 13l behind Shesha Bear (9-10) at Lingfield 1m 3f hcp 0-70 (5) gs in Aug (flat).
Blue Tango (IRE) 20-1 (9-2) Chased leaders, driven along over 2f out, weakened well over 1f out, 10th of 16, 12l behind Aine's Delight (8-6) at Windsor 1m 2f 3yo hcp 0-65 (6) gd in Oct (flat).
The Saucy Snipe 80-1 (10-2) Not fluent early, held up, driven in modest 5th and struggling 3 out, tailed off, 5th of 7, 40l behind Westlin' Winds (11-2) at Plumpton 2m 3yo nov hdl (4) sft in Dec.
Captain Willoughby (IRE) 16-1 (11-0) Chased clear leading pair until 6th, weakened next, tailed off 3 out and soon pulled up, in a race won by Casual Garcia (11-0) at Fontwell 2m 4f mdn hdl (4) hvy in Nov, 6 ran.
Sail And Return 40-1 (10-7) Keen, in touch, ridden and hung right when fell 2 out, in a race won by Makhzoon (10-12) at Leicester 2m cond nov hdl 4yo+ (4) hvy in Dec, 13 ran.
Myshkin 33-1 (10-5) In touch, ridden approaching 4th, weakened approaching 2 out, 4th of 12, 18l behind Corredor Sun (10-12) at Warwick 2m 3yo nov hdl (4) sft in Dec.
