SANDOWN PARK 15:50

All 20 ran. Fences: 24.

Time: 7m 23.7s Closing Sectional: (2.7f): 43.7s (92.9%)

Overrounds: Industry SP 129%, Betfair SP 103.1%

An open renewal of this prestigious closing-day feature, all sorts catered for, from a former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner at one end of the handicap to one of 2 novices in the field at the other, and, whilst it lost no little interest when Grand Jesture was left at the start, there's still real substance to the form, the 5 who pulled clear all having something to recommend them; there was little slacking of the gallop, first Ely Brown/Rocky Creek forcing things before Unioniste took over, the front 2 coming from off the pace.

JUST A PAR (IRE) very promising in his novice days, showed just what he can do when the mood takes him with a remarkable out-of-the-fire success, some stage for a first handicap win, the return of headgear, first try at a marathon trip and his extremely promising claimer all likely catalysts, a strongly-run race another; raced off the pace, shaken up before 3 out, still plenty to do in ninth on home turn but stayed on strongly from 2 out to lead well inside final 1f, driven out; he didn't relish the National fences on his sole previous try over them, but something like the Welsh National should be right up his street, proven in the mud in his earlier days for all he's been kept away from it since; as a wider point, this valuable prize extended Paul Nicholls' already unassailable lead in the race to be Champion Trainer, the stable's dominance of the big Saturday handicaps one of the stories of the season.

VICS CANVAS (IRE) has belied his advancing years this season, just a shame he didn't go chasing earlier, producing successive career-best efforts in winning one and placing in another 2 of the most competitive staying handicap chases around; waited with, out wide, pushed along after 4 out, progress between last 2, challenged well inside final 1f, responded well.

LE REVE (IRE) evidently laid out for this, enhanced his fine course record with another storming effort in defeat 9 weeks after chasing home Rocky Creek at Kempton, inconsistency in his form a thing of the past, a real success story this season; prominent, chased leader circuit out, every chance 3 out, jumped on next, headed well inside final 1f, kept on.

PAINT THE CLOUDS couldn't land a gamble 6 weeks on from his Cheltenham third (to On The Fringe) but lost little in defeat returned to a handicap, evidently handed a fair mark, doing enough to prove his stamina for the trip to boot; in touch, went handy thirteenth, led before 3 out, mistake there, headed 2 out, kept on.

GUESS AGAIN (IRE) will be rising 11 when he returns but only now seems to be getting going (this effectively his stable debut), running well on the book as it was but shaping even better than the bare result, leaving the impression the longer trip was just too much after looking ahead of his mark for so much of the way; patiently ridden, smooth headway out wide from 4 out, challenged from 2 out, no extra final 50 yds.

BALLY LEGEND made it 3 consecutive creditable efforts in competitive handicap company, just too exposed/high in the weights to win one; tracked pace, lost place eighth, ridden before 3 out, kept on.

ALGERNON PAZHAM (IRE) less exposed than the rest (one of only 2 novices in the field), again shaped better than the bare result in this even more demanding environment, relative inexperience jumping-wise holding him back more than the longer trip, well worth another try over this sort of distance in fact; patiently ridden, progress 5 out, pushed along before 3 out, no further impression.

UNIONISTE (FR) should be suited by long distances and it's likely something other than lack of stamina was to blame for his fading out of things, lightly raced this season but still on the go since November, not to mention positively ridden on the day; either way, he ran better than this bare result might imply, going with zest close up and leading before the tenth only to weaken once headed before 3 out.

GRANDADS HORSE looked straight back in better form until possibly failing to stay the longer trip, not that he makes much appeal for handicaps of this nature; tracked pace, pushed along before 3 out, one paced early in straight, no extra flat.

DUKE OF LUCCA (IRE) on the face of it, merely underlined his inconsistency 2 weeks on from his Aintree success, ridden more patiently than usual and never a factor having made a mistake at the twelfth, though he was reported to have finished lame.

BOBS WORTH (IRE) has fallen at least as far as his illustrious stablemate Sprinter Sacre, given a chance by the assessor from a mark 1 lb lower than when winning the Hennessy in his highlight 2012/13 season (only previous handicap start) but to no avail, little spark in his display despite the fitting of cheekpieces; mid-field, never going well from circuit out, struggling 3 out.

RETURN SPRING (IRE) could well bounce back freshened up in the autumn but there's no denying he's ended his novice season poorly; close up early, shuffled back after second, never going well from halfway, struggling 5 out.

ROALCO DE FARGES (FR) runner-up in this race in 2012, ran one of his poorer races of a mixed season this time around; mid-field, out wide, ridden when mistake 5 out, labouring from next.

ROYALE KNIGHT almost certainly found this coming too soon after Aintree; mid-division, mistake fourth, lost place over circuit out, never going well after, struggling early final circuit.

ELY BROWN (IRE) has had no sort of season, running badly here as he made it 3 non-completions from as many appearances; disputed lead but made mistakes, went on third, joined when not fluent sixth, chased leader after tenth, lost place circuit out, first beaten.

LOST LEGEND (IRE) turned in a rare poor effort on this season's record, the marathon trip a probable factor; patiently ridden, ridden before 3 out, no response.

THE PACKAGE shaped as if amiss; close up, mistakes fifteenth, nineteenth, stopped quickly.

WONDERFUL CHARM (FR) failed to repeat his Aintree effort (behind Duke of Lucca) 2 weeks on, always behind, his struggle for consistency continuing.

ROCKY CREEK (IRE) possibly best fresh and here presumably as an afterthought, ran poorly just 2 weeks on from the Grand National; led early, remained prominent, bad mistake seventeenth, folded.

GRAND JESTURE (IRE) looked a worthy market principal but was left at the start in harsh circumstances, being led-in and not going forward but hardly given a fair crack of the whip, detached from the rest of the field.