This was thoroughly uncompetitive, but it provided a good opportunity for the once highly regarded FIRST LOVE to get his career back on track after nearly three years in the wilderness following what Nicky Henderson described as a "brutal head-to-head" over three miles in a novice chase at Perth, an experience that threatened to break his spirit. Sweetened up by a spell of hunting and by some individual treatment back in Lambourn, he enjoyed himself out in front and dominated from the Railway fences,although he was understandably tired from two out and only just held on after rather scrambling over the last.

Newick Park was more than eight seconds adrift of the principals at the finish in a poor third.

Former classy two-miler Venn Ottery took the winner on briefly down the far side but got very tired and was pulled up on the run to three out.

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