held up in rear, headway after 3 out, ridden 2 out, stayed on same pace last, not trouble leaders
held up in rear, ridden and struggling well before 3 out
took keen hold in touch, not fluent 4th, ridden approaching 3 out, weakening when not fluent 2 out
mid-division, headway approaching 3 out, beaten when not fluent 2 out
held up towards rear, headway approaching 3 out, ridden after next, edged right and stayed on flat
held up in touch, chased winner after 5th until after 2 out, weakened flat
held up in rear, not fluent 3rd, kept on appraoching last, never near to challenge
made all, ridden and edged right flat, held on
mid-division, ridden and weakened after 5th, tailed off
mid-division, headway on outside approaching 3 out, disputing 2nd last, not quicken towards finish
held up in rear, reminders 3rd, well beaten after 5th
mid-division, outpaced approaching 3 out, no impression after
prominent, ridden after 4th, beaten when hit 2 out, weakened after
held up towards rear on outside, struggling approaching 3 out
held up towards rear, headway approaching 3 out, weakened flat
in rear, pushed along after 2nd, lost touch next, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out
prominent until 3 out, not fluent next
A big field for this opener that can be taken by FRENCH LEAVE, who is given the nod to follow up his recent course and distance success, while Celtic Spirit and Saltagioo are respected in opposition. The selection is up 7lbs for that win here on good to soft, when Victor Dartnall's charge stuck on gamely. He will need to show a similar attitude to follow up here, and consistency is not his strong suit if you take an overall glance at his career profile, but with the yard going well enough we will stick with him today at a track that he clearly enjoys. Celtic Spirit is rated in the 90s on the Flat, and should therefore be capable of much better than he has shown over hurdles if he can translate that ability to this sphere. He will stay a fair bit further than today's trip, but the stiff track should suit and he is much respected. Saltagioo, on the other hand, is more of a miler on the level and fails to get home over 10f, so this stamina test may be against Alan King's six-year-old. River Beauty merits respect coming from a top yard in great form, while Ludlow winner Bundle Up did the job very well in a poor race, but you couldn't discount a follow-up with the stable in good shape. An interesting race where French Leave gets the nod.
Saltagioo (ITY) 15-2 (11-4) Held up, headway 3 out, stayed on to go 2nd towards finish, 2nd of 11, 2l behind Tiger O'toole (11-11) at Taunton 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) gf in Mar.
Cardinal James (IRE) 66-1 (10-12) Behind, hit 4 out, never on terms, 8th of 16, 19l behind On Borrowed Wings (11-5) at Ffos Las 2m nh nov hdl (4) gs in Dec.
River Beauty 10-1 (10-9) Mid-division, headway 7th, mistake 3 out, soon beaten, 6th of 14, 22l behind Talenti (11-2) at Huntingdon 2m 4f mdn hdl (4) gs in Mar.
Bundle Up 13-8fav (10-9) Held up in touch, improved to lead when not fluent 3 out, not fluent next, ridden clear flat, won at Ludlow 2m nov clm hdl (4) gd in Mar beating Blacktoft (12-0) by 13l, 11 ran.
Miller's Dawn 7-1 (11-9) Tracked leaders on outside, lost place 4th, not fluent next, ridden 6th, soon behind, tailed off, 10th of 12, well behind Requin (11-5) at Stratford 2m 3f nov hcp hdl 0-110 (4) gd in Mar.
Legion D'honneur (UAE) 4-1 (10-7) Tracked leaders, every chance after last, ridden and one pace flat, 4th of 14, 13l behind First Stream (11-0) at Kelso 2m 2f mdn hdl (5) gd in Mar '09.
Dundry 25-1 (11-7) Tracked leaders, went 2nd 4 out, hit 2 out, ridden and no extra last, 4th of 9, 7l behind Willandrich (11-2) at Plumpton 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-105 (4) sft in Mar.
Celtic Spirit (IRE) 11-4fav (11-7) In touch, chased leaders approaching last, one pace, 4th of 11, 4 1/2l behind Ballinderry Park (11-11) at Folkestone 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) hvy in Jan '09.
The Brimmer (IRE) 33-1 (10-12) Pulled hard, held up, headway 5th, went 2nd after 7th until 3 out, weakened flat, 5th of 12, 7l behind Good For Blue (11-0) at Huntingdon 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) sft in Feb.
Barton Alf 33-1 (11-4) Held up, towards rear, some headway 5th, weakened 4 out, 9th of 16, 45l behind Wishfull Thinking (11-11) at Exeter 2m 3f nov hdl (4) gs in Feb.
Flexi Time (IRE) 4-1fav (10-6) Held up towards rear, headway approaching 5th, pushed along and weakened next, 4th of 12, 17l behind Blazing Buck (10-4) at Ffos Las 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) gd in Mar.
Kaycee (IRE) 250-1 (11-0) Always behind, 15th of 17, well behind Nice One Eric (11-0) at Wincanton 2m nh nov hdl (4) gs in Mar.
Coeur Brule (FR) 12-1 (10-12) Held up in rear, headway approaching 4th, weakened 2 out, 4th of 7, 12l behind Nono Le Sage (10-2) at Warwick 2m hcp hdl 0-100 (4) sft in Mar.
French Leave (IRE) 4-1 (11-3) Made virtually all, in command before last, stayed on well, won at Exeter 2m 1f am hcp hdl 0-95 (5) gs in Mar beating Tarabela (11-0) by 3 1/2l, 13 ran.
Art Man 25-1 (10-8) Mid-division, mistake and lost place, behind when hampered 3 out, pulled up next, in a race won by Tiger O'toole (11-11) at Taunton 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) gf in Mar, 11 ran.
Uffa Fox (IRE) 40-1 (11-0) Took keen hold, chased leaders, behind from 3 out, tailed off, 10th of 18, 47l behind Salden Licht (11-0) at Newbury 2m mdn hdl (4) sft in Dec.
Cappagh (IRE) 16-1 (10-8) Raced wide, chased leaders, hit 3 out, weakened well before next, 6th of 12, 22l behind Ciceron (11-2) at Wincanton 2m hcp hdl 0-120 (3) gd in Mar.
Randjo (FR) 9-1 (11-10) Held up in rear, pushed along and struggling after 4 out, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out, in a race won by Callerlilly (11-12) at Exeter 2m 5f nov hcp hdl 0-105 (4) sft in Nov, 9 ran.
