3.38 1m. 7f. 149yds. 5 Declared. Family Raceday 21st April Free Entertainment Handicap Chase (Class 3 ) of £20,000.00 5-y-o plus
1st - €10,562.00 2nd - €4,860.00 3rd - €2,430.00 4th - €1,216.00 5th - €606.00
Formscan - ROYAL MER looked every inch a chaser to keep on the right side of when scoring again over 1m7f at Wetherby most recently, bounding clear after the last to win comfortably, and off a 9lb higher mark, he can bring up the hat-trick for the in-form David Pipe team. Mount Tempest showed progressive form in the winter and even though that improvement seems to have plateaued somewhat, he is only 4lb above his last winning mark and warrants respect for title-chasing Dan Skelton. The class-dropping Gustavian has the ability to get involved in a race of this nature, but the ease in trip is a concern.