led until headed 4 out, ridden and weakened next
mid-division, headway 8th, outpaced and ridden 3 out, ran on to have slight chance 2 out, hit and not recover
tracked leaders until mistake and lost place 8th
tracked leaders, led 4 out, ridden clear approaching last, easy
held up towards rear, ridden from 5 out, stayed on final 3
tracked leader, dropped rear 7th, mistake 4 out, pulled up 3 out
towards rear, hit 7th, some headway approaching 4 out to chase leaders, weakened 3 out
in touch, lost place 7th, stayed on moderately final 3
This has the makings of an interesting contest, in which Leaburn is taken to defy topweight, with Day du Roy and Supreme Arrow likely to give him most to do. Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson have teamed up to good effect lately and can do so again here with Leaburn who won well at Wincanton on Boxing Day, having been sidelined with a leg injury for the best part of two years. Things did go his way at Wincanton, but as he is lightly raced, there should be a few more pounds improvement despite the fact that he is now aged 11. Jonjo O'Neill had a winner at the weekend, so Day du Roy is worth noting. In contrast to Leaburn, he has time on his side, being the youngest in the line-up as a six-year-old, and although not finding too much off the bridle at Ludlow last time, has already won over fences in France, and has the scope to progress. The ex-Irish Supreme Arrow was a gutsy scorer at Huntingdon in November, considering that her pilot reported that she was feeling a leg, and she will not be over raced this year. She is a consistent sort but the ground might just be a bit too soft for her here. Saffron Sun also prefers faster ground but was given a positive ride when winning at Exeter last time, and may be prominent for a while. Venetia Williams, successful 12 months ago with Indalo, relies on Trouble Ahead who has no room for improvement, while Canadiane is a bit in-and-out to say the least. Perange has an absence to overcome, so all in all, Leaburn has to be the percentage call to add to his tally.
