mid-division, headway 7th, hit 4 out, soon outpaced, rallied 2 out, stayed on, no extra towards finish
mid-division, headway 5th, led 3 out, ridden 2 out, headed and not quickened close home
always towards rear
always behind
mid-division, hit 4th, headway 8th, ridden when mistake 3 out, weakened next
always towards rear
in touch, ridden after 4 out, weakening when hit 3 out
held up, headway 8th, ridden 3 out, weakened next
prominent, stumbled when rider lost iron briefly and lost place 3rd, reminders after 5th, weakened after 7th
chaased leaders, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened before next
chased leaders, ridden after 7th, weakened 3 out
behind from 5th
always towards rear, tailed off when pulled up before 8th
in touch, lost place 5th, behind when pulled up after 6th
always behind
with winner, lost place when fell 7th
led, ridden and headed 3 out, rallied gamely flat, stayed on to lead close home
Peter Bowen could hardly have his string in better form at present and Yes Sir is no exception coming here on the back of wins at Chepstow and Sandown in his last two starts; however, this looks tougher off his new mark and preference is for Handy Money, who gets the vote over McBain. The last mentioned won well at Taunton last week but looks plenty high enough in the weights at present, while the four-year-old Alikat faces no easy task against more experienced rivals. Henrietta Knight's Queen Soraya has gone up 10lbs for her win at Market Rasen last time and of more interest may be Len Lungo's Monolith, who comes here fresher than most and remains unexposed over hurdles. Richard Guest has his string in good form at present and his representative Stan holds solid claims under a 6lb penalty for his win at Wetherby last week. Alan King's Handy Money has a progressive profile though and should appreciate the return to this trip having found little over two miles at Aintree last time; he gets the vote.
Yes Sir (IRE) 13-2co-fav Clear leader, closed well before 4th, challenged 3 out, led well before 2 out, pressed 2 out, driven out flat, won at Sandown 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-140 (B) gs beating Penny Pictures by 1 1/2l, 17 ran.
Turtle Soup (IRE) 66-1 Tracked leaders, led 6th, headed 7th, chasing leaders when badly hampered and brought down 4 out in race won by Holland Park at Aintree 3m lst hcp hdl (A) gd, 22 ran.
Monolith 9-2fav Held up, hampered 7th, headway 3 out, ridden next, went 2nd approaching last, staying on when not much room flat, held towards finish, 2nd of 14, 1l behind Sharp Belline at Wetherby 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-130 (C) gs in Dec.
Very Optimistic (IRE) 7-1 Held up towards rear, weakened from 2 out, 10th of 15, 29l behind The Bajan Bandit at Haydock 2m 7f hcp hdl (B) sft in Feb.
Handy Money 8-1 Keen, in touch, ridden when hit 2 out and last, one pace flat, 5th of 18, 12l behind Definate Spectacle at Aintree 2m lst hcp hdl (A) gs.
Mythical King (IRE) 66-1 Mid-division, never nearer, 12th of 29, 28l behind Idole First at Cheltenham 2m 5f hcp hdl Grd 3 (A) gd in Mar.
Will of The People (IRE) 7-1 Held up in touch, chased leader after 7th, ridden to lead approaching 3 out, headed last, ran on under pressure flat, 2nd of 9, 1/2l behind Broken Knights at Bangor 3m hcp hdl 0-135 (C) sft.
McBain (USA) Evensfav Held up last, outpaced 7th, ridden and chased leader after 3 out, headway approaching 2 out, led last, left clear and eased flat, won at Taunton 2m 3f nov hdl (E) gf beating Tyup Pompey by 28l, 5 ran.
Stan (NZ) 5-2jt-fav Held up and keen, headway to chase leader 6th, led approaching 3 out, ridden approaching last, kept on well, won at Wetherby 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (D) gd beating Pebble Bay by 3 1/2l, 9 ran.
First Love 12-1 Soon well behind, jumped slowly 5th, soon lost touch, tailed off, 6th of 7, 30l behind L'Ange Au Ciel at Sandown 2m hcp chs 0-135 (C) gs in Feb.
Queen Soraya 4-1 Made all, stayed on well from 2 out, won at Market Rasen 2m 3f nov hdl (D) gd beating Aleron by 3 1/2l, 12 ran.
Alikat (IRE) 10-11fav Tracked leaders to 5th, led and quickened 8th, driven and joined 2 out, narrowly headed last, stayed on, held near finish, 2nd of 5, nk behind Goblet of Fire at Fontwell 2m 6f nov hdl (E) gf.
Master Papa (IRE) 11-1 Held up towards rear, headway 9th, ridden and hit 4 out, weakened next, 4th of 11, 13l behind Cosmocrat at Ludlow 2m 4f hcp chs 0-120 (D) gd.
Mio Caro (FR) 1-2fav Tracked leaders, headway 3 out, challenged next, soon ridden, edged left after last, stayed on well to lead flat, all out, won at Market Rasen 2m 1f 4yo nov hdl (D) gs in Mar '04 beating Iloveturtle by 2l, 11 ran.
Almnadia (IRE) 20-1 Chased leader 2nd until 5th, weakening when mistake 7th, tailed off and pulled up 2 out in race won by Inch Pride at Cheltenham 2m 5f mrs hcp hdl (A) gd, 17 ran.
Corlande (IRE) 12-1 Held up in rear, weakened from 5th, tailed off, 7th of 9, well behind Stan at Wetherby 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (D) gd.
Golano 14-1 Led, mistake 3rd, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, soon weakened, 9th of 12, 16l behind Idole First at Huntingdon 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (D) gd in Dec.
Nonantais (FR) 9-4fav Led, jumped badly right and headed 4th, soon driven, kept on under pressure approaching 2 out, 4th of 8, 5l behind Vivid Imagination at Lingfield 2m hcp hdl 0-120 (D) gs in Feb.
