jumped well, tracked leaders, joined leader approaching 8th, disputing when left clear 3 out, ran on well, easily
chsd ldrs, rdn appr 3 out, hit 2nd 2 out, chlg for 2nd but hld by wnr when fell last
hld up bh, hdw appr 9th, rdn after 11th, msk next, lft poor 3rd last
m.d, trkd ldrs after 5th, rdn after 11th, styg on but no ch w wnr when lft clr 2nd last
led 3rd, blnd next, dspg and still e.c when fell 3 out
hld up i.t unt wknd appr 10th, p.u bf 3 out
i.t unt 8th, bh and p.u bf 10th
chsd ldrs, grad lost pl fr 5th, not fluent 9th, sn wl bh, p.u bf 3 out
sn wl bh, t.o and p.u bf 8th
led, hdd 3rd, bh fr 8th, t.o when blnd 11th, p.u bf next
m.d, bh appr 9th, t.o and p.u bf 3 out
This looks a well-contested novice chase, and although Ideal Du Bois Beury is likely to attract plenty of support, it will not be plain sailing. Martin Pipe's charge was a talented hurdler, but more than met his match in No Need For Alarm on his chasing debut at Newton Abbot and may be worth opposing again here. TEAMtalk's vote goes to Farmer Jack. He gave four pounds to Ideal Du Bois Beury when five lengths behind that rival over hurdles at Ascot last season, and was not disgraced at the Cheltenham Festival behind Galileo. He was given a quiet introduction to chasing when fourth behind Montreal at Exeter, and with that experience under his belt he could easily step up. Others worthy of note are Jericho, who was lightly raced over hurdles and capable of better over fences, and One Nation, who has fared well enough in two starts over fences and looks booked for a place at least.
