chased leader, in touch when blundered badly and unseated rider 12th
held up in mid-division, mistake 3rd, shaken up 13th, challenging and every chance when brought down 3 out
prominent, shaken up after 4 out, every chance when fell 3 out
blundered badly 1st, soon well detached, pulled up after 8th
held up in mid-division, blundered 10th, headway 13th, led approaching 4 out, left clear 3 out, blundered 2 out, eased flat
Free Gift and Kaldouas make it onto the short list for this six-runner affair, with the vote going to Kaldouas. Kosmos Bleu has it to prove from his current mark in terms of winning, while Free Gift keeps paying for his consistency but this likeable type should give you a run for your money. Manly Money has a long absence to overcome but he is talented so watch the betting, while Kaldouas rates as an obvious contender being a lightly-raced Paul Nicholls runner that has certainly shown potential. In the absence of anything more substantial than that, he gets the vote.
Kosmos Bleu (FR) 8-1 (11-5) Prominent, jumped right 3rd, led 10th, jumped right 11th, headed 12th, mistake 4 out, soon weakened, 5th of 7, 30l behind Sento (10-13) at Stratford 2m 5f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gd in Oct.
Free Gift 7-2 (10-11) Led, headed 6th, led again 8th, ridden 3 out, fading when headed flat, 2nd of 9, 5l behind Tighe Caster (11-1) at Huntingdon 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) gf in Sept.
Manly Money 11-1 (10-10) Mid-division, weakened 6th, mistake next, 11th of 17, 20l behind Yes Sir (11-9) at Sandown 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-140 (B) gs in Apr '05.
Kaldouas (FR) 7-2 (11-5) Held up in touch, lost place after 6th, headway after 3 out, ridden 2 out, one pace, 4th of 8, 23l behind Saltango (11-8) at Wincanton 2m 6f nov hcp hdl (3) sft in Mar.
Mighty Matters (IRE) 2-1fav (11-6) Mid-division, some headway 11th, soon weakened and pulled up 3 out in race won by Burwood Breeze (11-8) at Perth 3m hcp chs 0-115 (4) sft in May, 12 ran.
Petitjean 16-1 (11-2) Mid-division, ridden and weakened after 3 out, mistake next, 9th of 20, 28l behind Nobody Tells Me (11-2) at Newbury 2m 5f mdn hdl (3) gd in Mar.