in touch, headway after 13th, hit 14th, ridden after next, weakened approaching 3 out
tracked leaders, hit 2nd, pushed along after 13th, led 16t to 17th, ridden after 3 out, jumped left last, kept on flat
tracked leaders, mistake 15th, jumped slowly next, led 17th, ridden approaching 2 out, stayed on
towards rear, mistake 12th, ridden after next, headway to go 3rd after 3 out, never near leaders
always behind
led to 6th, mistake 8th, weakened approaching 14th
with leader, led 6th, rider lost iron briefly 13th, headed 16th, weakening when mistake 3 out
held up, headway approaching 14th, ridden next, jumped right 16th, weakened next
Toulouse-Lautrec gets the vote over Legatus and Monty's Double, with Glanamana and Five Pence making most appeal of those further down the weights. Toulouse-Lautrec displayed abundant stamina when scoring over further at Plumpton and is obviously in good heart at present. So much so that connections are eyeing up the Midlands Grand National if conditions are soft enough. With that in mind, today's going is probably not testing enough, but the fact that he lines up in form and with his claimer able to knock off 10lb, lends cause for encouragement. If he takes the bull by the horns and stretches them, then Tom George's charge can add to his tally before being prepared for Uttoxeter. The lightly-raced Legatus has improvement to come but needs to brush up his jumping if he is to trouble the selection on what will be only his sixth career start. Monty's Double ran a blinder at Haydock in December but that sterling effort behind El Hombre Del Rio may have taken it out of him. If sufficiently recovered though, he can play apart. Of the rest, Glanamana will appreciate the trip and comes from a bang-in-form stable, while Five Pence caught the eye when staying on at Newbury. With stamina to burn though, Toulouse-Lautrec can gallop his rivals into the ground.
