Nothing here jumps off the card to say back me, as too many of these often fail to complete a race, but we'll take a chance that ALDERLEY ROVER can get round unscathed and first, with the likely dangers being El Chico and Catch Bob. Donald McCain's gelding, previously with Venetia Williams, is the only runner here with an official rating, and as a pointer, it's much higher than any of the previous 10 winners of this contest. He can handle some cut in the ground, and if cutting out jumping errors, should be the one to catch. The Walford yard do well here, and El Chico improved dramatically when coming third here in a similar contest last month when the going was soft. Ferdy Murphy also has a fair bit of success here, and Catch Bob catches the eye. A former winning Irish pointer, he was second to an odds on shot here last time out, after previously failing to complete. It wouldn't take much improvement to land this. However, our preference is for Alderley Rover.
Alderley Rover (IRE) 11-2 (10-12) Pulled hard, joined leader 2nd, ridden after 3 out, gradually faded, 6th of 18, 32l behind Fushe Jo (10-12) at Doncaster 2m nov hdl (4) sft in Jan.
Anay Car (FR) 14-1 (11-0) Mid-division, outpaced 4 out, soon weakened, tailed off when pulled up at the last in race won by Black Mogul (10-7) at Hexham 2m 4f mdn hdl (5) sft in Oct, 11 ran.
Catch Bob (IRE) 12-1 (11-4) Held up, steady headway after 3 out, ridden to go 2nd last, kept on flat, 2nd of 12, 2 1/2l behind Strokestown (11-4) at Sedgefield 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) hvy in Jan.
Chavez (IRE) 50-1 (10-13) Held up, never on terms, 12th of 16, 48l behind Shut The Bar (10-0) at Catterick 2m mdn nhf (6) gs in Jan.
Doodlebop (IRE) 40-1 (10-12) Behind, struggling 7f out, never dangerous, 10th of 16, well behind Saveiro (10-12) at Catterick 2m nhf (6) sft in Jan.
El Chico 66-1 (11-4) Led to 2nd, chased winner, lost 2nd 2 out, kept on same pace, 3rd of 11, 12l behind Fiendish Flame (11-4) at Sedgefield 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) hvy in Jan.
Magellan Straits 16-1 (11-1) Raced keenly, held up towards rear, kept on from 2 out, nearest finish, 5th of 12, 20l behind Strokestown (11-4) at Sedgefield 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) hvy in Jan.
Right Benny 200-1 (10-5) Held up mid-division, weakened from 3 out, 9th of 16, well behind Palm Reader (10-12) at Catterick 2m 3f nov hdl (4) gs in Dec.
Snurgecal (IRE) Fell 4 out in race won by Classic Frontier at Ballindenisk 3m ire ptp hvy in Dec '07, 17 ran.
Rich Girl (IRE) 100-1 (10-3) Towards rear, ridden 3 out, no impression, 7th of 15, 41l behind Raysrock (10-10) at Kelso 2m nh nov hdl (4) sft in Apr.
Wheyaye 20-1 (11-0) Always towards rear, 7th of 14, 34l behind Don't Stop Me Now (10-3) at Musselburgh 2m 4f mrs nov hdl (4) gs in Jan.
