4.40 3m. 149yds. 15 Declared. Winners Wear Cavani Sefton Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1 ) of £100,000.00 4-y-o plus
1st - €56,270.00 2nd - €21,200.00 3rd - €10,610.00 4th - €5,300.00 5th - €2,660.00 6th - €1,330.00 7th - €660.00 8th - €340.00
Formscan - The value may lie with MAXIMILIAN, who skipped Cheltenham but the horse who finished narrowly behind him in the River Don, Stay Away Fay, went on to win the Albert Bartlett. He has the chance to claim Grade One honours on this occasion, with track and ground conditions expected to suit. Paul Nicholls' charge had a tough race when scoring at the Festival and it may be too big an ask to follow up four weeks later, while Iroko has the potential to improve for the step up in trip but will need to take his form to a new level in Graded company. The Irish haven't won this since 2005, though they have a strong contender in Absolute Notions, who ran a cracker at the Dublin Racing Festival when last seen. Others to note include Blenkinsop, Grey Dawning and Mofasa.