in touch, weakened 3 out
held up, mistake 3rd, ridden and headway 3 out, weakened 2 out and fell last
mid-division and keen, headway 6th, ridden to chase leaders 2 out, weakened flat
in rear and blundered 1st, ridden and some progress 4 out, pulled up approaching 2 out
towards rear, ridden and short lived effort 3 out, soon weakened
towards rear, headway after 4th, weakened 3 out
in touch, ridden and every chance 2 out, led last, headed close home
in touch, ridden and weakened after 3 out
in touch, mistake 5th, ridden to chase leaders after 3 out, 3rd approaching last, ran on strongly to lead close home
led 1st, soon headed, lost place 4th, tailed off and pulled up before 3 out
towards rear, weakened after 5th
jumped slowly 1st, prominent, led 6th, ridden 3 out, headed approaching last, one pace
led 2nd and jumped right throughout, clear 4th headed and weakened 4 out
Plenty of in-form horses here and just a tentative vote goes to Presentandcorrect ahead of Liakoura, Nocivo and Moon Star. Philip Hobbs' six-year-old had been running consistently well until finally getting his head in front last time out at Fontwell where he travelled well in behind the leaders and showed a good turn of foot to power clear. This mark of 112 looks high enough but there should be more to come and he gets the vote. Moon Star has gone up 6lbs in the weights for his recent success where he showed plenty of determination however it wasn't a strong contest, so of more interest may be Henry Daly's Nocivo. He won on his handicap debut and the form looks fair in the context of this race so he warrants plenty of respect, along with John Charles who will love the sun to shine and the ground to quicken up. Nicki Boy wasn't far behind John Charles last time out so has claims once again, however Presentandcorrect appears to have more scope for improvement and gets the vote.
Nicki Boy (GER) 9-4fav (11-12) Chased leader, challenged, led 3 out, ridden 2 out, headed last, rallied, ran on flat, just failed, 3rd of 9, nk behind John Charles (11-5) at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gf.
Liakoura (GER) 7-2 (11-2) Took keen hold, held up in rear, headway 6th, tracked leaders necked, led throughout, in command before last, driven and stayed on well, won at Plumpton 2m mdn hdl (4) gf beating Soulard (10-10) by 4l, 13 ran.
Presentandcorrect (IRE) 8-11fav (11-1) Travelled well in touch, led soon after 2 out, edged right flat, ridden out, won at Fontwell 2m 2f nh nov hdl (4) gd in Mar beating Seismic Shift (11-1) by 2l, 14 ran.
Nocivo (FR) 7-2fav (11-5) Held up, headway 4th, ridden to chase leaders 2 out, led approaching last, kept on, won at Hereford 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gf beating Unicorn Reward (10-9) by 1 1/2l, 10 ran.
Rebel Raider (IRE) 12-1 (10-6) Held up, hit 5th, ridden next, soon outpaced, stayed on flat, 4th of 12, 4l behind Festive Chimes (11-2) at Fakenham 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd in Mar.
John Charles (IRE) 16-1 (11-5) Prominent, headway approaching 2 out, challenged 2 out, soon ridden, led, hit last, hard driven flat, all out, won at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gf beating Alina Rheinberg (10-4) by a hd, 9 ran.
Habanero 8-1 (11-7) In touch, headway 3rd, ridden after 4th, one pace from next, 6th of 13, 19l behind Flaming Weapon (11-4) at Exeter 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gs in Mar.
Tora Petcha (IRE) 9-2 (10-6) Tracked leaders, ridden and outpaced, 3 out, chased leader 2 out, led close home, won at Ludlow 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gf beating Will The Till (10-0) by a nk, 5 ran.
Moon Star (GER) 10-1 (11-4) Mid-division, headway approaching 2 out, soon led, jumped left 2 out and last, pushed out flat readily, won at Wincanton 2m nov hcp hdl 0-105 (4) gf beating Sturbury (10-3) by 1l, 16 ran.
Oniz Tiptoes (IRE) 15-2 (11-2) Led, headed 2nd, chased leader 4 out, led after 2 out, ran on well, won at Fakenham 2m nov hcp hdl 0-105 (4) gd in Nov beating Calculaite (11-7) by 3 1/2l, 10 ran.
Arthurs Dream (IRE) 7-1 (11-0) Held up, steady headway 5th, ridden to lead after 2 out, ran on, won at Hereford 2m 1f nov sll hdl (5) gf beating Bold Trump (11-0) by 4l, 16 ran.
Seize 16-1 (11-4) Prominent, every chance 3 out, soon ridden, weakened approaching 2 out, 7th of 14, 21l behind National Trust (11-1) at Stratford 2m 3f mdn hdl (4) gs in Mar.
Trampoline King (USA) 33-1 (10-8) Always behind, tailed off, 15th of 16, well behind Nicki Boy (11-7) at Fontwell 2m 6f cnd hcp hdl 0-95 (5) gd in Mar.
Saint Godegrand (FR) 12-1 (11-2) Held up, headway to chase leading trio 7th, ridden and no chance with winner after 4 out, weakened between last 2, 4th of 7, 30l behind Polinamix (11-0) at Plumpton 2m 5f nov hdl (4) gf.
