2.40 2m. 5f. 26 Declared. Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1 ) of £110,000.00 4-y-o plus
1st - €61,897.00 2nd - €23,320.00 3rd - €11,671.00 4th - €5,830.00 5th - €2,926.00 6th - €1,463.00 7th - €726.00 8th - €374.00
Formscan - Having landed the last two renewals of this contest, Dan Skelton's sole representative Be Aware must be taken seriously. The six-year-old finished a cracking second in the Greatwood here in November and he may not have been at his best when subsequently beaten at Ascot. The son of Martaline has untapped potential over this distance and an 81-day break will have freshened him up. However, Nicky Henderson has scooped this prize four times since 2010 and IMPOSE TOI may further enhance his fine record. The JP McManus-owned gelding arrives on the back of a career-best victory in a class 2 event at Newbury and a 7lb higher mark is unlikely to prevent another bold bid. First-time cheekpieces may eke out further improvement from the son of It's Gino and a seventh career victory may beckon. Comfort Zone posted an excellent third at Leopardstown over Christmas and he is the pick of the Irish contingent, followed closely by last year's runner-up Ballyadam and Jimmy Du Seuil.