tracked leader, challenged 4th, led approaching 3 out, clear 2 out, easily
led, joined 4th, not fluent 5th, headed approaching 3 out, beaten and 6 lengths adrift when hit 2 out
raced keenly and awkwardly in last, slowed up on approach to 1st, tailed off when slowed up, dived right and hit 2nd, soon pulled up
raced in 3rd, not on terms with front 2, tended to jump left, niggled along intermitently, not fluent 7th, went 3rd between last 2, no chance with winner
In this four-runner affair, we will side with Battle Cry. Battle Cry has justifiably achieved a rating of 128 over hurdles so he is useful and, with his stable in good form, has to be very much respected here. Overlut showed plenty of promise on his chasing debut at Huntingdon and looks set to go well with that experience under his belt. Quai de Roi showed signs of temperament on the Flat but you can never rule out a Paul Nicholls runner, while Water Taxi ran well to finish second on his chasing debut and is very much one to consider too. Once again, though, we will give the nod to Battle Cry.
Battlecry 3-1 (11-3) Led, hit 6th, driven and headed before last, weakened flat, 3rd of 7, 2 1/2l behind Middleton Dene (11-1) at Cheltenham 2m 5f nov hdl (3) gs in Oct.
Overlut (FR) 11-4fav (11-2) Led, jumped left, headed 7th, not fluent 10th, one pace from 2 out, 2nd of 6, 9l behind Sunley Shines (11-0) at Huntingdon 2m nov chs (3) gf in Oct.
Quai Du Roi (IRE) 25-1 (11-11) Always in rear, tailed off when fell at the last in race won by Tipperary All Star (11-12) at Cheltenham 2m nov hcp hdl 0-115 (3) gs, 20 ran.
Water Taxi 16-1 (11-2) Held up, headway to go prominent after 5 out, not fluent last, one pace, 2nd of 11, 2l behind Tous Chez (11-2) at Carlisle 2m nov chs (3) gd in Oct.
