Tracked leaders, pecked 4th, 3rd halfway, slight mistake 3 out, challenged wide into straight and led before next, pushed along and 3 lengths clear before last, stayed on well run-in op 8/15
It's hard to ignore the clear and obvious chance of the Willie Mullins-trained CILAOS EMERY as the French bred gelding returns to hurdling. The eight-year-old is rated 5lb higher than his nearest rival Darasso, who won this contest in facile fashion 12 months ago. The Gordon Elliott-trained Mengli Khan looks booked for third.