tracked leaders, mistake 3rd, led briefly 6th, ridden approaching 4 out, soon weakened
prominent until 5th, behind and pulled up after 7th
made virtually all, mistake 5th, blundered next, mistake 13th, ridden after 3 out, kept on well
held up, shaken up and headway 10th, mistake 11th, ridden and every chance after 4 out, held when pecked 2 out
in touch until weakened quickly 9th, pulled up after next
chased leaders, jumped right from 10th, weakened approaching 13th
hampered and unseated rider 1st
jumped right and unseated rider 1st
A decent novices' chase can go the way of Personal Assurance over First Ballot, Up The Glen and Gone Far to name but three. The top four here all have winning form, but Jonjo O'Neill and Tony McCoy are starting to look a formidable combination these days and Personal Assurance is well up to completing a hat-trick. The seven-year-old was no slouch over hurdles, having finished eighth in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham in March, and having scored over timber at Southwell the first time that the champion sat on him, the combination duly popped in on the gelding's chase debut at the same track just over three weeks ago. McCoy bids to remain unbeaten on him here and although this is a much stiffer test, he can prove up to the task. His main rival appears to be First Ballot who developed into a very useful stayer on the Flat a few years ago. He won with plenty in hand at Bangor when beating Gone Far by 13 lengths and should appreciate the step up in trip even more. If Personal Assurance beats him, then the latter's connections will know that they have something to go to war with. Up The Glen is ten-years-old now, and along with Sunshan, will do well to give weight to the aforementioned pair, and in what could be a fascinating dual, we take that man McCoy to come out on top again on Personal Assurance.
