led to 2nd, in touch, ridden and lost place after 4 out, weakened after next
held up in touch, headway to track winner 4 out, driven when left clear 2nd 2 out, ridden and kept on same pace approaching last, no impression flat
with leader, led and wandered 3rd, made rest, hard pressed when left 2 lengths clear 2 out, stayed on flat
raced keenly, held up until headway to lead 2nd, headed next, lost place 4 out, outpaced 3 out, left 3rd next, no impression with leading pair
raced keenly, held up behind, smooth headway after 3 out, upsides and going well when fell heavily next
in touch on outside, outpaced 3 out, soon ridden and lost place, weakened before next
tracked leaders, outpaced 3 out, soon ridden and weakened
held up towards rear, ridden to chase leaders after 3 out, left 4th next, kept on same pace under pressure, no impression
held up towards rear, ridden 2 out, never on terms
It's hard to get away from LIDAR, who stands head and shoulders above Nehemiah and Tricky Tree as the best option in this company. Alan King has his 'summer jumpers' in good form and send the lightly raced Lidar here safe in the knowledge that he has an improving type on his hands. This experience can only help to educate the five-year-old and, having finished second in last year's Champion Bumper at Aintree, he stands a class above the rest on the evidence so far. Tricky Tree has shown promise on several occasions and ought to pay his way before too long, while Nehemiah is still learning his trade but is in the right hands to find a race at some point. De Forgotten Man makes his hurdles debut at a modest level and is another for the future. However, Lidar shines like a beacon as the main one for the money on this occasion.
Call Me Dave 33-1 (10-11) Chased leaders, went 3rd before 6th where not fluent, weakened into 5th when stumbled just after 3 out, tailed off, 5th of 7, 47l behind Ramvaswani (10-11) at Plumpton 2m mdn hdl (5) hvy.
De Forgotten Man (IRE) 100-1 (11-5) Chased leaders on inside, lost place over 3f out, soon weakened, 16th of 24, 30l behind Cue Card (10-12) at Cheltenham 2m Nat Hunt Flat (Grade 1) (4-6yo) (1) gd in Mar.
Lidar (FR) 5-2 (10-12) Tracked leading pair, went 2nd 4 out, until blundered 2 out and weakened soon after, 4th of 8, 25l behind General Miller (10-12) at Cheltenham 2m 1f NH nov hdl 4-6yo (3) sft in Dec.
Like Ice 14-1 (10-9) Mid-division on inside, headway to chase leading pair 7f out, ridden 4f out, soon no impression, lost 3rd 2f out, 4th of 8, 21l behind Oscar Papa (11-2) at Plumpton 2m 2f NH flat (6) sft.
Mid Valley 20-1 (10-2) Held up towards rear, effort and mistake 2 out, no impression, 9th of 14, 21l behind Akram (11-6) at Kempton 2m cond hcp hdl 0-1115 (4) gd in Nov.
Nehemiah 33-1 (11-0) Chased leaders, weakened after 3 out, behind when went left and hit 2 out, 6th of 11, 33l behind Dean's Grange (11-0) at Kempton 2m NH mdn hdl (4) gd.
Stevie Bull (IRE) 100-1 (11-2) Mistakes, always behind, lost touch before 5th, pulled up after, in a race won by Peveril (11-5) at Warwick 2m 3f NH nov hdl (4-7yo) (4) hvy in Feb, 14 ran.
Tricky Tree (IRE) 7-1 (10-0) Mid-division, headway 5th, not fluent and weakened 3 out, 6th of 11, 36l behind Monetary Fund (10-4) at Huntingdon 2m nh nov hdl (4) gs.
Sparkling Brook (IRE) 25-1 (11-7) Wl bhnd when ur 13, in a race won by Hivikos (12-0) at Didmarton 3m ptp gf in Mar, 10 ran.
