always behind, tailed off when pulled up before 4 out
led 2nd to 7th, weakened 9th
held up, mistake and unseated rider 1st
led to 2nd, stayed prominent, ridden approaching 4 out, soon weakened
always behind, tailed off from 8th
tracked leaders, ridden and outpaced approaching 3 out, stayed on flat
in touch, headway 5th, hit 7th, ridden to lead briefly 3 out, soon one pace
tracked leaders, led 7th, headed briefly 3 out, clear approaching last easily
A beginners' chase in which Lilium de Cotte catches our eye here ahead of Polar Red, Call Me Jack, and possibly Pittsburgh Phil. The selection, who will be the first runner from Henderson's yard to carry the famous colours of JP McManus, won twice over hurdles in France before joining Nicky Henderson and then won at Sandown before finishing an excellent fourth at Cheltenham in the JCB Triumph Hurdle. That form stands out here and he gets the vote. Call Me Jack proved himself good enough to win over hurdles and showed promise when second at Sedgefield on just his second run over fences, while Dalcassian King showed his first worthwhile jumping form at Leicester last time, but he was allowed to dominate in a three-runner affair. Chief Wardance won from a mark of 108 over hurdles three-and-a-half years ago but, like Dai Wintle's 2002 Punchestown hurdling winner Louises Glory, is hard to fancy on the back of a lay-off. Jonjo O'Neill's Pittsburgh Phil is also racing on the back of an absence from the track, and in his case it amounts to 579 days. Having achieved a rating in the 120s over the smaller obstacles, a positive market move would be interesting. However, the biggest danger to the selection might come in the shape of Polar Red. Owned by the track's chairman, Sir Stanley Clarke, the Martin Pipe-trained six-year-old won last season's Imperial Cup before running well when attempting to follow up at the Cheltenham Festival. He was very decent over the smaller obstacles and will win races over fences if transferring that ability to the larger obstacles. However, for today, we'll side with Lilium de Cotte.
