held up last, hit 8th, good headway 9th, every chance when blundered badly 4 out, not recover
led to 4th, with leader, not jumped well from 5th, shaken up 6th, weakened 7th, ran on flat
chased leader, led after 4th, hit 9th, ridden and headed approaching 3 out, rallied to lead 2 out, kept on gamely flat
prominent, chased leader 7th, ridden to lead approaching 3 out, headed 2 out, rallied and every chance last, no extra flat
Nonrunner
A tricky race to call, but the tentative vote goes to the hat-trick seeking Opera Mundi with all of the runners in with chances. It may not be ideal that the selection drops back in trip today, however the testing conditions should negate that and he looks capable of winning again. He has some serious Cheltenham entries and this race should decide which trip he goes over next. The stable is in good form, and although his last win was in a farcical race, he won it well in the end and looks progressive. All Star is not he biggest of horses to go chasing, however he jumps fairly well and could run a big race today. The form of his last run behind New Little Bric looks rock solid. Unfortunately he has to give weight away all round, so for that reason, he must be taken on. Desert Air won well on similar ground at Plumpton just five days ago, however if turned out again he would need to step up once again in this much tougher race. Ursis is closely matched with the rest of the field on hurdles form, however he is another who would need to improve for his last run, however that is certainly not out of the question. Senorita Rumbalita completes the lineup, however it is still uncertain as to which is her best trip. She disappointed last time out at Cheltenham, however the drop in trip may help today so she can't be ruled out. An open contest then can go to Opera Mundi, and provide some pointers for the Cheltenham Festival.
All Star (GER) 10-3 (11-6) Tracked leaders, mistake 11th, ridden before 2 out, went 3rd again soon after, kept on same pace, 3rd of 4, 14l behind New Little Bric (11-6) at Sandown 2m 4f nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs.
Desert Air (JPN) 8-11fav (11-4) Made all, ridden after 3 out, ran on, won at Plumpton 2m 1f beg chs (4) hvy beating Spidam (10-11) by 5l, 6 ran.
Ursis (FR) 5-2jt-fav (11-2) Made virtually all, headed briefly after 2nd, clear after 8th, unchallenged, won at Hereford 2m 3f beg chs (4) sft in Jan beating Fountain Hill (11-2) by 5l, 7 ran.
Opera Mundi (FR) 4-7fav (10-13) Chased clear leader, closed on leader after 7th, challenged 2 out, ridden into narrow advantage when good jump last, ridden out, won at Newbury 2m 1f nov chs (3) hvy in Jan beating Private Be (11-1) by 4l, 3 ran.
Senorita Rumbalita 8-1 (10-12) Held up but in touch, effort after 3 out, weakened approaching last, 6th of 7, 32l behind Don't Push It (11-5) at Cheltenham 2m 5f nov chs (2) sft in Dec.
