| Course: AINTREE | Race date:04/04/08 | Race time:4:55 | Runners:17 |
| Race distance:3m1f | Going:Good | Winners time:6m 21.80s |
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Stall | Weight | Age | RPR | OR | Odds | B High | B Ave | B Low | In run | Finished | Dist Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oedipe | A Tinkler | N J Henderson | 10-4 | 6 | 0 | 134 | 20/1 | 5.9 | 4.79 | 3.9 | 1.01 | 1 | ||
| Three Mirrors | Keith Mercer | Ferdy Murphy | 10-2 | 8 | 0 | 132 | 25/1 | 11.5 | 8.9 | 3.99 | 1.01 | 2 | 3¾ | |
| Alderburn | A P McCoy | H D Daly | 10-13 | 9 | 0 | 143 | 17/2 | 3.6 | 3.04 | 2.84 | 1.01 | 3 | 21 | |
| Rayshan | Miss R Davidson | N G Richards | 10-6 | 8 | 0 | 139 | 20/1 | 6.21 | 5.27 | 4.09 | 5 | 4 | ½ | |
| Boychuk | Richard Johnson | P J Hobbs | 10-6 | 7 | 0 | 136 | 10/1 | 3.51 | 3.17 | 2.9 | 2 | 5 | 2¼ | |
| Bagan | Brian Harding | M Todhunter | 10-8 | 9 | 0 | 138 | 50/1 | 23 | 15.38 | 6.02 | 1.56 | 6 | ½ | |
| Celestial Gold | Timmy Murphy | D E Pipe | 11-7 | 10 | 0 | 151 | 33/1 | 9.8 | 8.25 | 4.86 | 1.16 | 7 | 1 | |
| Mr Strachan | Dominic Elsworth | Mrs S J Smith | 10-4 | 7 | 0 | 134 | 6/1 | 2.8 | 2.52 | 2.1 | 2.34 | 8 | 5 | |
| Silver Sedge | Paddy Aspell | Mrs A Hamilton | 10-0 | 9 | 0 | 130 | 16/1 | 5.1 | 4.29 | 3.8 | 2 | 9 | hd | |
| Bible Lord | Mark Grant | Andrew Turnell | 10-6 | 7 | 0 | 136 | 8/1 | 3.7 | 3.04 | 2.49 | 1.83 | 10 | 1¼ | |
| State Of Play | Mr J E Tudor | Evan Williams | 11-5 | 8 | 0 | 156 | 14/1 | 4.9 | 4.07 | 3.55 | 2 | 11 | 16 | |
| Kock De La Vesvre | A Coleman | Miss Venetia Williams | 9-11 | 10 | 0 | 132 | 33/1 | 14.99 | 9.16 | 6.4 | 2.08 | 12 | 7 | |
| Mister Top Notch | B J Geraghty | D E Fitzgerald | 11-10 | 9 | 0 | 154 | 5/1F | 2.5 | 2.22 | 1.84 | 2.24 | F | ||
| Coat Of Honour | Denis O´Regan | J Howard Johnson | 10-5 | 8 | 0 | 135 | 50/1 | 22.23 | 16.26 | 8.53 | 5.1 | PU | ||
| New Little Bric | R Walsh | P F Nicholls | 11-0 | 7 | 0 | 144 | 9/1 | 4.2 | 3.26 | 2.96 | 2.9 | PU | ||
| Kings Euro | S E Durack | Tim Vaughan | 10-6 | 8 | 0 | 136 | 6/1 | 3.15 | 2.52 | 2.14 | 2.32 | PU | ||
| Irish Wolf | T J O´Brien | P Bowen | 10-0 | 8 | 0 | 130 | 16/1 | 6.4 | 5.42 | 4.96 | 2.62 | PU |
Oedipe chased leaders, led 13th, clear 3 out, stayed on
Three Mirrors held up, headway 3 out, chased winner before next, stayed on same pace flat
Alderburn held up, headway 14th, ridden after 3 out, weakening when blundered next
Rayshan held up, ridden after 12th, stayed on flat, never nearer
Boychuk held up, mistakes, headway 6th, driven along 14th, weakened after 3 out
Bagan held up in touch, chased winner 4 out, weakened 2 out
Celestial Gold held up, headway after 4 out, weakening when jumped left 2 out
Mr Strachan prominent to 14th
Silver Sedge held up, ridden after 11th, blundered 13th, soon weakened
Bible Lord held up in touch, chased leader 5th, jumped right 8th, blundered next, weakened after 4 out
State Of Play chased leaders until weakened 3 out
Kock De La Vesvre prominent, lost place 3rd, headway 10th, weakened 14th
Kings Euro led, clear 3rd, mistake 11th, headed 14th, weakened after next, behind when pulled up before 2 out
Coat Of Honour held up, headway 12th, weakened 14th, behind when pulled up before 2 out
New Little Bric held up, behind 10th, some headway after 15th, weakened before 3 out, behind when pulled up before last
Mister Top Notch held up, fell 6th
Irish Wolf chased leaders, lost place 3rd, behind from 14th, pulled up before 2 out
Three Mirrors, who had been waiting for better ground since being pulled up over 2m at Wetherby at the end of last year, came from off the pace with a promising run up the inside starting up the home straight, and while the winner was simply too good for him, he deserves credit for pulling so far clear of the rest. This was intended to put him right for Ayr, where he won last year,and though the handicapper will take action before then, he will still merit plenty of respect. His options are limited because he evidently has to go left-handed.
The handicapper just seems to have Alderburn's measure this season, but he ran a perfectly respectable race in third. He could go to Sandown for the Bet 365 Gold Cup (the old Whitbread), but his stamina may be suspect over the extra half-mile or so.
Rayshan has had a good season and he did not run at all badly again. He has shot up the handicap and his wins are at shorter distances, but he was staying on here. Boychuk was let down by his jumping but not disgraced. He is a bit of a character, and so, too, is Bagan, who looked as if he would be involved in the finish when turning in going well but did not get home. It may well have been stamina that ultimately let Bagan down at the end of such a strongly run race, but this was a more encouraging start for his new stable after being pulled up in top handicaps on his last twostarts, and he could still be interesting in a similar race before the end of the season.
Mr Strachan, an early faller when favourite for the Jewson, chased them early on but was in trouble a long way out.
Silver Sedge's hat-trick bid petered out after a blunder early on the final circuit, but Bible Lord ran better than his finishing position suggests, as he did well to complete after two shocking blunders.
State Of Play, whose connections were seeking a confidence booster, dropped right out in the end, but he had chased the pace most of the way.
Favourite Mister Top Notch was towards the rear when an early faller. Kings Euro has had a fantastic season, but this may have been one race too many, and he was pulled up after leading for a long way. [GD]
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