led to 5th, mistake 7th, led again after 10th, headed after 3 out, weakened after 2 out, blundered badly and rider lost reins last
held up, headway 3 out, went 2nd 2 out, one pace flat
held up, behind from 8th
held up in touch, mistake 1st, lost place after 7th, behind 9th, stayed from 2 out, no impression
chased leaders, mistake 7th, ridden when mistake 12th, no impression on leaders from 3 out
prominent, led 5th until after 10th, regained lead after 3 out, headed before last, stayed on under pressure flat to lead close home
held up, not much room on inside 7th, headway 8th, close 3rd, going well when mistake and unseated rider 3 out
with leaders, ridden after 4 out, slightly hampered, outpaced after 3 out, soon rallied, jumped right 2 out, led, jumped right last, hung left flat, headed close home
Over The Creek gets the confident vote here with Blaze Ahead and Nagam the others to consider. The selection stands out as one to follow over timber because he looks tailormade to be very effective over the bigger obstacles. He has shown plenty of promise over hurdles and we are looking forward to seeing how he fares now that he switches to fences. Blaze Ahead showed plenty of promise on his chasing debut, but he did make a couple of mistakes and he will need to brush up on his jumping if he is to score today. Nagam was a fair second behind Broken Reed at Leciester last time but he never looked like getting to the winner that day and again more will be required if he is to get competitive today. Major Catch ran well ast time and could go well at a price, but for the winner we will stick with Over The Creek.
Blaze Ahead (IRE) 12-1 (11-1) Chased leaders, went 2nd and hit 10th, blundered 3 out, still challenging approaching next, weakened approaching last, 3rd of 11, 13l behind Black Collar (10-7) at Folkestone 3m 1f hcp chs 0-110 (4) gs in Jan.
Dancing Rock 8-1 (11-11) Held up, mistake 4th, ridden 8th, struggling from 12th, tailed off when pulled up 4 out in race won by Touch Closer (11-12) at Ludlow 3m hcp chs 0-125 (3) gs in Dec, 9 ran.
Lonesome Boatman (IRE) 125-1 (10-9) Held up, jumped big 4th, lost touch from next, tailed off, 6th of 8, well behind Quirino (11-0) at Towcester 2m 3f beg chs (4) hvy in Jan.
Major Catch (IRE) 33-1 (11-0) Held up rear, left poor 3rd from 13th, 3rd of 5, 46l behind Gungadu (11-8) at Warwick 3m nov chs (2) hvy in Jan.
Nagam (FR) 5-1 (10-11) Mid-division, headway 13th, outpaced 4 out, kept on flat, 2nd of 8, 8l behind Broken Reed (11-0) at Leicester 2m 7f nov chs (4) gd in Dec.
Nonantais (FR) 20-1 (11-12) Held up in touch, one pace and no chance with front trio after 3 out, 4th of 11, 18l behind Black Collar (10-7) at Folkestone 3m 1f hcp chs 0-110 (4) gs in Jan.
Over The Creek 5-1 (11-7) Held up, steady headway after 6th, outpaced 2 out, rallied and switched right approaching last, stayed on, not reach winner, 2nd of 18, 2 1/2l behind Moulin Riche (11-7) at Cheltenham 3m nov hdl Grd 2 (A) gd in Mar '05.
Triple Mint (IRE) 3-1 (11-12) Tracked leaders and mistakes, soon behind, reminders halfway, lost place from 4 out, 4th of 5, well behind Predestine (9-11) at Haydock 3m nov hcp chs 0-120 (3) hvy in Jan.
