tailed off from mid-division, ridden 3 out, outpaced 2 out, kept on well from last to go 3rd close home
led, shaken up 3 out, ridden approaching 2 out, not quicken
held up last, headway after 3 out, ridden, effort approaching 2 out, soon weakened
held up towards rear, headway approaching 5th, challenged, led approaching 2 out, soon clear, eased from last
prominent, ridden 3 out, weakened approaching 2 out
chased leader, ridden approaching 2 out, kept on same pace
The Hairy Lemon has thrived since joining Alan King, and can win yet again at the expense of Armariver, In Media Res and Lunar Crystal. The Hairy Lemon faces just five rivals in this 0-125 handicap, and judged on his current form, the six-year-old looks all set to defy a seven-pound rise for his comfortable success over Billyandi at Leicester three weeks ago. He has shown phenomenal improvement since leaving Milton Harris and has yet to taste defeat foe current connections since returning to action in October. The ground looks right for him, and he can outgun Armariver. The latter will have plenty of supporters, given his trainer's record here, but his second at Ludlow was disappointing after his demoted success against stablemate Pirate Flagship at Cheltenham the time before, and he will find this tougher off his new mark. In Media Res got bogged down in the heavy ground when pulled up at Uttoxeter, but looked on the upgrade earlier, scoring twice in succession, and it would be no surprise if he went close despite his weight, while Lunar Crystal is hard to weigh up, given Martin Pipe's in-and-out form. All in all, The Hairy Lemon looks by far the safest option.
In Media Res (FR) 7-2fav (11-5) In touch, hit 4th, ridden 7th, soon weakened, tailed off when pulled up 5 out in race won by Killing Me Softly (10-5) at Uttoxeter 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (D) hvy in Dec, 10 ran.
Lunar Crystal (IRE) 33-1 (10-8) Chased leader to after 6th, weakened approaching 2 out, 10th of 18, 25l behind Definate Spectacle (10-1) at Aintree 2m lst hcp hdl (A) gs in Apr.
L'oudon (FR) 6-1 (10-7) Held up, stayed on from 2 out, never troubled leaders, 5th of 12, 12l behind Dom d'Orgeval (11-3) at Lingfield 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-140 (B) sft in Dec.
Noble Request (FR) 20-1 (11-7) Held up in touch, ridden 2 out, every chance approaching last, weakened flat, 7th of 11, 10l behind Nippy Des Mottes (11-7) at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gs in Jan.
The Hairy Lemon Evensfav (11-7) Held up, headway 3rd, led and hit last, edged right flat, driven out, won at Leicester 2m amt hcp hdl 0-110 (4) sft in Jan beating Billyandi (10-9) by 1 1/2l, 9 ran.
Armariver (FR) 11-8fav (10-2) In touch, led 3 out, ridden and headed 2 out, not quicken flat, 2nd of 15, 1 1/2l behind Go For Bust (11-7) at Ludlow 2m hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd in Jan.
