mid-division, headway approaching 12th, outpaced 4 out, blundered badly 3 out, soon no chance
in touch, lost place 12th, outpaced from next, no danger after, mistake last
led, mistake 11th, mistake and headed 3 out, weakened after 2 out
in rear, struggling 11th, well behind 13th, tailed off
chased leaders, blundered 1st, jumped slowly 4th, joined leader briefly 9th, ridden after 13th, weakened and wandering after 2 out, hanging left before last
held up towards rear, not fluent, pushed along after 8th, headway approaching 4 out, every chance 2 out, weakened towards finish
chased leaders, led 2 out, driven out flat
held up in rear, hampered 4th, headway approaching 2 out, went 2nd last, stayed on well flat, not reached winner
held up, raced keenly, mistake 2nd, not fluent 6th, headway after 9th, weakened approaching 2 out
towards rear, last when not fluent 7th, soon ridden along, lost touch after 11th, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out
mid-division on outside, jumped left 4th, outpaced 12th, no chance from next
chased leader, led and hit 3 out, ridden and headed 2 out, fourth and beaten when hit last, weakened flat
PERTINENT, Prestbury Knight and Aleron catch the eye here with the first-named getting the vote. Prestbury Knight was in good form last year, but registered his first win of this campign when scoring in game fashion recently. He is durable, but a 6lb rise seems severe. Aleron was a convincing winner at Aintree, springing something of a shock, and he is a threat here despite being raised half a stone. Paul Nicholls' Pertinent is lightly raced and open to improvement, and although he has been raised 8lbs for a recent emphatic win, he still may be well handicapped. Having found the winning thread, Pertinent may prove too strong for the opposition.
Hold Em (IRE) 1-5fav (11-5) Made most, drew clear approaching 3 out, easily, won at Uttoxeter 3m nov stks (4) gf in Apr beating Badger (10-9) by 27l, 4 ran.
Aleron (IRE) 12-1 (11-0) Held up mid-division, headway 8th, not fluent 12th, left 2nd and hampered 3 out, led 2 out, soon clear, eased considerably towards finish, won at Aintree 3m 1f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gs in May beating Galant Nuit (11-2) by 3 1/2l, 12 ran.
The King of Angels (IRE) 5-1 (11-6) Well in rear, headway 10th, hampered next, soon behind, 6th of 9, 29l behind Direct Flight (10-3) at Worcester 2m 7f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Love That Benny (USA) 20-1 (11-2) Held up in touch, weakened 4 out, 9th of 13, well behind Backstage (10-5) at Perth 3m hcp chs 0-145 (2) gf in May.
Prestbury Knight 12-1 (11-5) Always prominent, raced keenly, not fluent 4th, left 2nd after 17th, led after next, hung left from after 2 out, mistake last, stayed on flat, won at Ludlow 3m 1f hcp chs 0-130 (3) gd in May beating Super Judge (10-6) by 1l, 7 ran.
Otantique (FR) 8-1 (11-12) Held up towards rear, headway 17th, chased winner approaching 3 out until 2 out, weakened flat, 3rd of 7, 14l behind Prestbury Knight (11-5) at Ludlow 3m 1f hcp chs 0-130 (3) gd in May.
Seymar Lad (IRE) 10-3 (10-12) Chased leaders, steadied 3rd, not much room on bend on inside after 9th, struggling in rear next, rallied after 14th, weakened 3 out, 5th of 9, 19l behind Direct Flight (10-3) at Worcester 2m 7f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in May.
Some Craic (IRE) 16-1 (9-12) Held up towards rear, headway after 4 out, chased winner last, kept on, 2nd of 13, 11l behind Backstage (10-5) at Perth 3m hcp chs 0-145 (2) gf in May.
Pertinent (FR) 10-1 (11-5) Jumped left throughout, led 2nd to after 4th, led 5th, quickened 14th, ridden after 4 out, blundered 3 out, went clear after 2 out, comfortably, won at Wincanton 3m 1f nov hcp chs 0-115 (4) gf in Apr beating Dizzy Future (11-5) by 6l, 5 ran.
Bring Me Sunshine (IRE) 9-1 (11-4) Chased leader, ridden after 8th, weakened approaching 3 out, 5th of 6, 26l behind Mibleu (9-13) at Newton Abbot 2m hcp chs 0-125 (3) gf.
Gallik Dawn 15-2 (11-9) Held up towards rear, headway approaching 12th, challenged before 3 out, led narrowly 2 out, headed flat, stayed on, 2nd of 9, nk behind Mister Apple's (11-12) at Uttoxeter 3m 2f hcp chs 0-115 (4) gf.
Leopold (SLO) 7-1 (10-2) Held up, headway to track leaders 6th, ridden and mistake 4 out, joined winner between last 2, soon driven, stayed on well, always held by winner, 2nd of 8, nk behind Rakalackey (11-12) at Fakenham 3m hcp chs 0-125 (3) gf in May.
