held up, ridden 8th, weakened when not fluent 3 out
took keen hold and jumped well, led 2nd, ridden and ran on well flat
behind, some headway approaching 6th, weakened 4 out
led, jumped right and headed 2nd, gradually lost place, tailed off and fell 2 out
tracked leaders, mistake 7th, ridden next, weakened when not fluent 3 out
in touch, headway to track winner 6th, ridden every chance last, not quicken
An interesting race in prospect here and Santenay makes plenty of appeal on this his chasing debut. With Duke Of Buckingham and Jaboune rated as the biggest threats. Paul Nicholls' charge gave Intersky Falcon a real fright at Kempton last Christmas before rounding off the campaign with a solid effort to finish ninth in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. He showed his worth when scoring in decisive fashion in his last start over hurdles at Sandown last month and should have too much speed for tonights rivals. Jaboune will have been boosted by his win over fences last time out and should continue to pay his way as he is a consistent sort. However, he endured a long campaign over the last year and is due for a short rest now. Duke Of Buckingham is capable on his day but does nothing quickly and may have to settle for a minor role with Santenay in the field.
