Betway Bowl Chase (Grade 1)

Off time: 14:51 | Winning time: 6m 24.1s

Aso^p²¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Charlie Deutsch| T: Miss V Williams| OR: 156

14/1

Handicap winner earlier in the season at Chepstow off a mark of 145 over 2m3f after running two sound races in big Cheltenham handicaps. Disappointed at the same course after the Chepstow run but bounced back with a creditable fourth at Kempton Park at the end of February in another top handicap over 3m. Refitted with headgear (cheekpieces), he showed his best form of the season when finishing third in the Ryanair finishing one place in front of Empire Of Dirt and could still be improving.

Form: 3561-42

Bristol De Mai²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: D A Jacob| T: N & W Twiston-Davies| OR: 162

9/2

Has continued his improvement this year despite only winning once. Finished a top-class second when running in a handicap for the first time off a mark of 154 at Newcastle and underlined that form with a good win at Haydock after that. Unsuited by a change of tactics at Newbury when well beaten in a small field Denman Chase before reverting to prominent tactics in the Gold Cup and running better than his finishing position suggests after a bad mistake at the last.

Form: 1122-22

Cue Card^t²⁰

Age: 11| Weight: 11-7| J: P J Brennan| T: C L Tizzard| OR: 170

2/1

Top-class chaser who has won plenty of the leading chasing tests over the past few years but once again came up short in the Gold Cup. Not getting any younger but has won two Grade 1 contests this year prior to falling three out for the second year running in the Gold Cup. Now faces a similar scenario to last year where he had fallen in the Gold Cup and came on to win this race and probably faces a slightly weaker field this time around.

Form: 1F1-431

Empire Of Dirt^t²¹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-7| J: B J Cooper| T: G Elliott| OR: 162

10/3

Progressive chaser who won two top-class handicap chases at Cheltenham and Navan before stepping into Grade 1 company and finishing second in the Irish Gold Cup to subsequent Gold Cup winner Sizing John. Took the Ryanair option at the Festival and ran a below form fourth (struggled with his jumping). Can travel very strongly and usually jumps well; worth another chance to show his metal in Grade 1 company.

Form: F/F2P11-

Silviniaco Conti^b,t⁶⁸

Age: 11| Weight: 11-7| J: N D Fehily| T: P F Nicholls| OR: 158

7/1

Winner of this race in 2014 and 2015 he like Cue Card has had a rather luckless association with the Gold Cup appearing a lot better suited by the test that this race gives. Not quite been at the top of his game this season and not been seen since finishing a well-beaten fourth to the ill-fated Many Clouds at Cheltenham in January. May well have been saved for this contest but would need to be back to his 2014/15 form to take a hand.

Form: 2P1P-24

Smad Place²⁰

Age: 10| Weight: 11-7| J: Wayne Hutchinson| T: A King| OR: 161

10/1

Turned in his best performances when wining the 2015 Hennessy and a Cheltenham Grade 2 at the start of last year before failing to do himself justice in the Gold Cup of that year. Ran a creditable race in this seasons Hennessy without threatening to repeat his 2015 demolition. Tried again in the Gold Cup with much the same result as previous year's and has been beaten in this contest before.

Form: 16-4738

Tea For Two²⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 11-7| J: Lizzie Kelly| T: Nick Williams| OR: 153

10/1

Won his first two chasing starts the second of which was the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton Park. Showed his liking for that track when running well for a long way in the latest running of the King George to finish fourth of the five runners. Subsequently won a small field Graduation Chase at Exeter before unseating his rider at the second in the Gold Cup and comes here on a recovery mission. Usually kept away from left-hand courses and all his wins (chase and hurdles) have come going right-handed.

Form: 7113-52

Forecasts

Cue Card (2/1), Empire Of Dirt (10/3), Bristol De Mai (9/2), Silviniaco Conti (7/1), Tea For Two (10/1), Smad Place (10/1), Aso (14/1)

Not the deepest renewal of the Bowl with several of this field on a recovery mission from the Gold Cup. Cue Card is the obvious one in that group and once again he has to pick himself up from a fall at Cheltenham to come here. There’s every chance that he could repeat last year’s win but he’s not getting any younger and EMPIRE OF DIRT is given another chance to live up to his Irish Gold Cup run. That run looks even better now in the light of what the winner went on to do and this extended 3m trip may well suit him better than the shorter distance of the Ryanair. Bristol De Mai could prove dangerous if he’s allowed to bowl along in front but he may have company in the shape of Smad Place. Two-time winner of this race Silviniaco Conti is respected but he’s not been in the same form this year and at a big price Aso may be able to outrun his odds having shown up well in the Ryanair.