tracked leaders on outside, mistake 13th, lost place next, well beaten 4 out
held up in rear, not fluent 3rd, mistakes 9th and 10th, blundered 13th, headway after next, not fluent 2 out, stayed on to take 2nd towards finish, no impression on winner
led, not fluent 7th, headed 11th, weakened 4 out
tracked leaders, hit 4th, lost place 6th, hit 9th, not fluent 10th, 5th and no impression 3 out, weakened next
held up in rear on outside, struggling 11th, behind when pulled up before 3 out
held up towards rear, hit 5th, fell 13th
tracked leaders, not always fluent, went 2nd 10th, led next, driven and stayed on well flat
tracked leader until not fluent 10th, close 2nd again 4 out, soon stated to hang left, no impression on winner flat, lost 2nd and stayed on same pace towards finish
held up towards rear, headway after 9th, ridden after 4 out, 4th and beaten last, one pace
tracked leaders on inside, not fluent 10th, lost place after 14th, well beaten from 4 out
This looks highly competitive but CALL ME VIC (NAP) could be an exciting recruit to the chasing ranks. He got outpaced on a couple of occasions over hurdles but still managed to win at Stratford in April. He's also landed a bumper and a point-to-point and will have an ambitious schedule planned. Oscar Fortune goes well fresh so could be a danger if taking to the larger obstacles while Irish Buccaneer, Midnight Belle and Perfect Candidate were all hurdles winners last time. Kingcora has already won over fences, at Bangor, while there will be plenty to come from Timesishard and Walk On Al in the coming months.
Oscar Fortune (IRE) 10-1 (10-9) Held up on inside, took keen hold, mistake 4th, closed before 9th, weakened before 2 out, 6th of 12, 30l behind Uncle Jimmy (10-1) at Warwick 3m 1f hcp hdl (2) hvy in Jan.
Irish Buccaneer (IRE) 7-4fav (11-9) Held up in last pair, not fluent 7th, headway after 4 out, bumped and led next, headed last, driven and led again flat, stayed on, won at Ludlow 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd in May beating Mcllhatton (11-12) by 1 1/2l, 7 ran.
Call Me Vic (IRE) 1-4fav (11-1) Made all, clear 2 out, hit last, unchallenged, won at Stratford 2m 6f nh nov hdl (4) gd in Apr beating Carn Rock (10-12) by 3 1/2l, 8 ran.
Walk On Al (IRE) 25-1 (11-4) Held up in rear, struggling 9th, no chance with leaders when hampered 3 out, tailed off, 7th of 18, well behind Beat That (11-4) at Aintree 3m nov hdl Grade 1 (1) gs in Apr.
Timesishard (IRE) 25-1 (10-5) Tracked leaders, not fluent 2nd, ridden 8th, weakened approaching last, 10th of 17, 41l behind Kingsmere (10-0) at Cheltenham 3m hcp hdl 0-145 (2) gd in Apr.
Midnight Belle 15-2 (11-6) Raced wide tracking leading pair, pushed along after 3 lout, went modest 2nd before next, 3 lengths down but closing last, stayed on dourly to lead final 120 yards, won at Exeter 2m 3f hcap hdle (3) sft in Feb beating Flementime (11-12) by 2 1/4l, 7 ran.
Lookslikerainted (IRE) 12-1 (11-4) Tracked leader, not fluent 2nd, mistake 5th, ridden 3 out, soon weakened, last of 7, well behind Garde La Victoire (11-4) at Cheltenham 2m 4f nh nov hdl (2) gd in Apr.
Wilton Milan (IRE) 11-10 (10-12) Not always fluent, led, dived at 8th, hit 12th, went left and jumped slowly 3 out, headed 2 out, chased winner and kept on under pressure flat, always held, 2nd of 5, 1 3/4l behind Seebright (10-12) at Fontwell 2m 6f nov chs (4) gd in Apr.
Hard To Swallow (IRE) 8-1 (11-12) Mid-division, 7th 3 out, no impression before next, 6th of 13, 28l behind Mala Beach (11-9) at Leopardstown 2m 4f mdn hdl hvy in Jan '13.
Kingcora (FR) 10-3 (10-12) In touch, blundered 3rd, went 2nd after 12th, blundered 4 out, led before 2 out, clear flat, stayed on, won at Bangor 3m hcp chs 0-120 (4) gs in Apr beating Young Hurricane (11-4) by 6l, 6 ran.
Perfect Candidate (IRE) 13-8 (10-13) Chased leaders, headway to go 2nd 4 out, led before 2 out, soon clear, easily (2 hurdles ommited), won at Wetherby 3m 1f nh nov hdl (4) sft in May beating Devenish Island (10-13) by 11l, 5 ran.
