led until blundered and unseated rider 4th
held up, headway 5th, weakening when mistake 10th
with leader, left in lead 4th, headed 7th, weakened after 10th
reminders after 2nd, always behind, tailed off when pulled up before 10th
held up, headway approaching 5th, led 11th, ridden 4 out, headed 2 out, weakened last
held up, lost touch 10th, jumped right from 4 out
held up, headway 4th, led 7th to 11th, ridden 4 out, led again 2 out, driven clear flat
mistakes 3rd and 4th, always behind, tailed off from 9th
Italian Counsel has the class to warrant support today, with Glengarra, Johnny Grand and Prince Of Aragon others worthy of a mention. Italian Counsel improved from only plating class over hurdles to taking on top company when trained by Luke Dace, and now has his first outing for Philip Hobbs. Sure to have been well schooled, he likes fast ground and has a course win to his credit. Glengarra has been consistent enough but his third to Calon Lan in selling company over fences does not look good enough to beat the selection, while Johnny Grand showed resolution at Southwell but did not beat much. Sue Smith had a treble on this card last year so Prince Of Aragon is worth a mention, although he was nothing special over timber. A first-time tongue-tie helped his breathing here last time, and he will at least have been well prepared. Italian Counsel has the most scope here and gets the vote.