VERY GRATEFUL

Three weeks ago in the same race, this horse performed well despite a slow jump, settling towards the back of the field. He made steady progress throughout and finished fourth, beaten by one and a half lengths. The time figures were respectable, with the horse scoring highly in overall assessments for that race. Trainer and jockey seem to be a good match, however the horse has failed to perform in all five previous attempts at this distance and its current form is unconvincing; adopting a hold-up strategy may prevent it from making up sufficient ground in the final stages, but still could contend for a place.