Expert Analysis

All four of the prominent runners dropped away to varying degrees in the closing stages leaving the distinct impression they had gone too fast for their own good. This left the race at the mercy of the held-up outsider Mirabad who ran past the tiring front runners to take the spoils.

MIRABAD I doubt very much that this winner has suddenly improved by a stone to win this grade one contest. More likely he simply benefitted from a pace collapse as the only other runner unable to go the pace fell three out when appearing to be the likeliest winner.

SALVATOR MUNDI He continues to look anything but a natural over these bigger obstacles. I am not sure how much he has actually achieved here in finishing in front of three other prominent runners that went faster than ideal. He continues to look like a horse to take on when trading very short.

BE AWARE Aside from jumping right at the first fence and a small error two out, I thought he jumped well in this grade one chase. He remained prominent throughout which was a negative given the way the race unfolded in the home straight. I doubt Harry Skelton was too disappointed once he realised it was his stable mate travelling easily just in behind after two out.

MIGHTY BANDIT Perhaps he was helped by struggling to go the pace before the turn for home. Although he was slightly hampered by the faller at the third last fence he still managed to make up ground on the three leaders in the closing stages. I would suggest that he was more inconvenienced than most by the faster conditions.

NO QUESTIONS ASKED He stays further than this two miles and I suspect this was a case of a relative stayer stopping to nothing after going a stride faster than ideal.

KING OF KINGSFIELD Along with the runner up and the third and fifth to finish, he tired badly in the latter stages after racing towards the fore.

ALNILAM He appeared to be travelling as well as any when hitting the sixth fence hard which resulted in his jockey having to pull him up due to a slipping saddle.

KALA CONTI She was unable to go the early pace and raced in last place and by some way until the turn for home. She then made eye-catching headway to smoothly move into contention before immediately crashing through the third last fence. Clearly, the fences are there to be jumped and, at the same time, given the way the race unfolded for the prominent runners in the latter stages, I feel confident that she would have proved to be very difficult to beat if standing up.