The second running of a race which provides a great spectacle but doesn't strictly belong at a meeting like this, since it caters by and large for slow-coaches and has-beens and from a form point of view is relevant only to the handful of other races run over this course and at Punchestown.

They hacked around most of the way, and there was surprisingly little incident, bar I Hear Thunder's spectacular unseating in the dip where they take the water shortly before halfway.

Remarkably, a near four-miler developed into something of a sprint, with the patiently-ridden NATIVE JACK ultimately having just too much speed for course specialist Spot Thedifference when their riders finally really went for them on touching down together over the last.

Native Jack may not be the horse he was, but he has been rejuvenated of late and came here on a roll. He heads now to Punchestown for La Touche, a race of broadly similar nature, albeit a non handicap, and he is a mere 2-1 chance with sponsors Blue Square to pick up their £50,000 bonus.

While the weights carried sometimes seem of little relevance in these cross-country races, it's worth remembering that he would meet Spot Thedifference on much worse terms if the runner-up was to go there too.

Spot Thedifference, the La Touche winner in 2004, went to post a winner four times in five attempts over this course, including off a mark only a pound lower in the corresponding race last year. He hadn't run well on his last two starts, and no horse of 13 or over has won at the Festival since Willie Wumpkins in 1981, but he had cheekpieces on for only the second time and is such a specialist here that odds of 12-1 looked ridiculously big. He held his place much better than usual, racing with the leaders throughout, and he was clearly going well as they turned for home after the second last, although Native Jack was on his heels and had yet to be asked a question. He lost out only narrowly up the hill, finishing clear of the rest, and on this evidence he is just about as good as ever.

Ile de Boitron ran well, keeping on again to just shade fourth from the always prominent Koquelicot, who ran a big race and was the only British-trained runner in the first seven.

There was a bit of a gap back to Good Step, another stablemate of the second, but he would have been a bit closer but for a bad blunder at the third-last.

The former Foxhunter second Never Compromise has been racing mainly in points lately, but he had been second to Native Jack last time at Punchestown and had a big pull at the weights. He ran better than his finishing position suggests, soon enjoying himself in a prominent position and just in front still at the second last. He had every chance of a place still going to the last but didn't get home as well as some. [GD]

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