held up, left 2nd 14th, challenged from 4 out, every chance approaching last, ridden and not quicken flat
made all, pushed along from 14th, joined approaching last, stayed on gamely flat
held up, went 2nd 11th, going well when blundered and unseated rider 14th
chased winner, lost 2nd when blundered and unseated rider 11th
held up, mistake 3rd, left 3rd and slightly hampered 14th, weakened after 3 out
in rear, blundered 2nd, stayed on from 3 out, driven to challenge when blundered last, weakened flat
Sir Stanley Clarke will be hoping for a prominent showing from Cromwell here, but he is the only one that you can safely rule out in fact after his lengthy absence. Raffles Rooster has to overcome topweight but will come on for his reappearance behind Wonder Weasel at Wetherby. A fair performer on the Flat, Kim Bailey's horse never managed to win over hurdles, but was good enough to win over the bigger obstacles at Sandown this time last year and should strip fitter now. Oh So Wisley has less to carry than the others but is still a dicey jumper and will possibly still need this, only his third outing after a year off. Katie Buckers hit a rich vein of form in the spring but has paid the penalty, and in any case is still on the way back to full fitness, while Echoes Of Dawn, twice a course winner in the past, blew up when attempting a repeat success at Bangor on his seasonal return. It is hard to think that he will have improved enough to score but he will keep on galloping. That leaves Gola Supreme, an ex-Irish point-to-pointer who made a winning debut over hurdles at Ascot, after which his trainer described him as a three-mile chaser in the making. It was therefore no surprise to see him return to the fray in such a contest at Bangor three weeks ago, when only the more experienced The Villager proved too strong for him. That should have put the edge on him and he can start to vindicate the belief that King has in him.
