One To Watch / Timeform / 19 February 2009 / Leave a comment

Five line up for this valuable £35,000 event over two miles and open to five year olds and upwards. Timeform rate the runners.

Gary Moore's Panjo Bere has taken really well to chasing, progressing with each start, and put up an excellent effort under a well-judged ride when beating Calgary Bay in the Grade 2 Montpellier Group Lightning Novices' Chase at Ascot last time, finding plenty to hold off the runner-up in the closing stages. The time compared very well with that recorded by Master Minded in the following Victor Chandler Chase and Panjo Bere is open to further progress over fences.

Free World finished behind Panjo Bere in the aforementioned Ascot contest having possibly set too strong a pace, eased after blundering at the last. His best effort had come at this course in December, showing useful form when finishing a neck second to Araldur, again racing prominently and just collared close home. He is only 1 lb better off with Panjo Bere and could struggle to reverse the seventeen length deficit between them last time.

Caroline Bailey saddles Doctor David. He is a progressive novice chaser who was successful at Kempton in November and at Haydock the following month, beating Kalahari King by 17 lengths for the latter success. Doctor David showed further progress when runner-up to I'msingingtheblues in a valuable handicap at Doncaster last time, again jumping well but never quite able to get to the winner. He usually races prominently.

Nick Williams' Cornas has a fair bit to find on Timeform ratings in this company. He was successful on his chasing debut when winning an 11-runner maiden at Ludlow in January by five lengths from subsequent winner Idarah. He impressed with the way he jumped and travelled in that contest albeit in a race run to suit at a track that's an easier test than most. He is open to improvement, and will need to be in order to make an impact here.

Gauvain has been successful once from four starts over fences, when winning a maiden at Lingfield in November. He was still in the lead when falling five out in a novice won by Heathcote at Fontwell next time but has to put that fall behind him, and Sandown's stiff fences aren't the ideal track for him to regain his confidence.