made all, 3 lengths clear last, tired flat, driven to hold on near finish, all out, gamely
tracked winner, mistake 7th, mistake 3 out, stayed challenging winner until no extra and lost 2nd flat
behind, ridden from 6th, struggling when mistake 8th, tailed off and pulled up after 11th
tracked leaders, mistake 11th, under pressure from 3 out, looked well held in 3rd last, stayed on well flat, just held
in rear when hampered and fell 3rd
No medals for bravery here, the selection has to be Ibal, who is very well in at the weights on official ratings. The gelding has plenty of experience over fences, loves it bottomless, acts on the track and should be comfortably good enough to see these off despite being tried over this trip for the first time. The one who can chase him home is the mare Indeed To Goodness. Unlike the selection, she has proven form over the trip as well as the racecourse itself and she would surely have been close here last time but for falling when being brought to challenge. With her penchant for soft ground, if she can cut out those sort of errors then she can complete the forecast. If she were to suffer any further mishap here, then the one most likely to take advantage would be Multi Talented, who showed enough promise on debut to suggest he can pick up a novice chase in the not-too-distant future
