WARWICK 15:00

All 15 ran. Fences: 22.

Time: 7m 42s Closing Sectional: (3.8f): 58.9s (101.9%)

Overrounds: Industry SP 118%, Betfair SP 102.4%

The market was dominated by an unexposed, progressive pair, one of them shaping pretty well in splitting the 2 who dominated the race from an early stage, the winner himself hardly fully exposed and posting the sort of performance that suggests he could be a fixture in some of the top staying races in the calendar for a while to come, thinning the field out in the back straight after he'd led from an early stage.

ECLAIR SURF (FR) marked himself down as a possible National horse of the future so well did he see out his first attempt at a marathon distance, getting into a tremendous rhythm once he took over after the fifth, brushing off his only mistake at the fourteenth as he continued to travel really well before pressing on 4 out and, after a slightly reduced advantage 2 out, drew clear again in the latter stages to fully confirm his stamina for this sort of extreme test; he's still lightly raced (this just his eleventh run under Rules) and has put himself in the mix for some of the big end-of-season staying handicaps.

GERICAULT ROQUE (FR) basically continues on the up even if the figures might not show it this time, the only one to get in amongst a winner and third who were always to the fore, doing enough to think he stayed this 3f longer trip, especially considering he's only just turned 6 (Colonel Christy in 1981 the only 6-y-o to ever win this race); mid-field, untidy sixth, chased leaders seventeenth, took second home turn, closed down leader briefly 2 out, no extra.

CHIRICO VALLIS (FR) picked up where he left off when last seen 3 months earlier, outrunning big odds on this first attempt beyond 3m; led until fifth, chased leader after, not fluent 5 out, effort next, lost second home turn, one paced.

CORACH RAMBLER (IRE) couldn't progress any further over this 4f longer trip, not travelling anything like as well this time stepping out of novice company, but he still managed to get into some sort of contention briefly, evidence that his new mark may not be beyond him another day; raced off the pace, dropped to last briefly seventh, shaken up after fifteenth and hung right, headway under pressure 4 out, no further impression.

JERRYSBACK (IRE) again showed that there's still some life in him, but he couldn't build on his Ascot run; held up, shaken up fifteenth, creeping closer when pecked sixteenth, took remote fifth approaching home turn, plodded on.

HEAD TO THE STARS seemed to find this a bit too competitive, no sluggard, either, while he's yet to win over fences away from Ludlow; patiently ridden, headway out wide sixteenth, held when untidy 3 out, effort proved short-lived.

ACHILLE (FR) ran well in this race last year but turned in his worst effort for a while, a third run in a punishing event in the space of 6 weeks possibly a step too far; raced well off the pace, crept closer ninth, lost place when untidy fifteenth, slow next, no chance after.

NOTACHANCE (IRE) won this race last year but has done nothing since and failed to find a first-time visor sparking him back to life; chased leaders, mistake eighth, again next, lost ground 5 out, left behind gradually.

GAME LINE (IRE) found this too competitive; in rear, struggling when hit fourteenth, pulled up long way out.

CAPTAIN TOMMY (IRE) didn't get home over 3f longer trip, shaping okay until his stamina appeared to give way; mid-field, in touch sixteenth, not fluent next, weakened after 3 out, eased home turn, pulled up 2 out.

NO REMATCH (IRE) easy to back tackling 5f longer trip, ran badly, not getting into much of a rhythm this time; mid-field, jumped left first, not fluent eighth, lost place twelfth, clouted fourteenth, pulled up next.

GRACE A VOUS ENKI (FR) failed to complete having his first run over fences in Britain, and it's safe to say his career on these shores hasn't started as well as connections would have hoped for; held up, not always fluent, took closer order thirteenth, lost ground sixteenth, blundered 5 out, dropped away.

PADLEYOUROWNCANOE back over fences, was in mid-field when making a bad mistake at the second, his rider very nearly unseated and losing his reins, pulling up before the next.

MINELLA ENCORE (IRE) wasn't in the same form as last time, much more to it than just the 3f longer trip, said to have made a respiratory noise; tracked pace, untidy twelfth, lost ground fourteenth, dropped away, tailed off when pulled up fifteenth.

THE HOLLOW GINGE (IRE) ran poorly following a breathing operation; in touch, untidy twelfth, lost ground seventeenth and switched to outer, slow 3 out, dropped away.