Fast Buck

The winner is an extremely well-handicapped horse that happened to be doing his best for the first time in a while, so consequently, I have seriously marked up the performance of the runner-up, who made him fight all the way.
Fast Buck's jumping was especially slick and fast as he led the field throughout, and he stacked them up from three out before kicking again when challenged by Red Rookie.
I felt inclined to treat his success on heavy ground last time out with suspicion, and after this excellent performance I now see him as well handicapped off 131 and a versatile horse with regards to ground conditions.
He will rarely if ever come up against such a well-handicapped horse as the winner in future and should prove difficult to catch in the short term, whilst there is more chance of him remaining in such form.

The Widdow Maker

On The Widdow Maker's first outing since wind surgery, this was a decent run on ground that was faster than ideal.
He looks attractive off 132 for when he competes on a softer surface over two miles or possibly a little further.

Gemirande

After stealing a few lengths at the start, Gemirande never relinquished his lead from start to finish, providing an excellent front-running effort and a superb jumping performance.
The handicapper has only raised him six pounds to 132 and I doubt his mark will be the variable that will stop him next time out, particularly as his new rating will allow him to contest a 0-130 next time.
He was receiving plenty of weight from the runner-up, while the proximity of the third horse adds plenty of substance to the reliability of this form given their previous encounter.

The King Of May

The King Of May's Wetherby form from November has worked out especially well. The good to soft ground here would have been softer than ideal and the handicapper has kindly dropped him to 122. He is beginning to appear to be extremely well-in for the day he competes on good going.

Afadil

Afadil looked very impressive in the finish and should also be better again on a softer surface. That said, a one and a half-length success over The Churchill Lad would still leave him with more than one mountain to climb to be of interest in the Triumph Hurdle.

Fidelio Vallis

This was the first race for Fidelio Vallis after a long absence and my guess is that he would have been primed to run to his best, and ideally I would prefer to see him given another significant break before returning to race again.
I like to see him compete as a fresh horse and assuming the handicapper only raises him a couple of pounds due to the margin of his defeat, then he could be competitive again in six weeks or so, preferably in the north at a sharp track on a sound surface.
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There is usually more upside to noting an interesting performance when you believe the majority are more likely to have missed it.

Andy Gibson's Eyecatchers Service considers horses that may go under the radar for many, some obvious ones, and a few interesting performances from horses I may be keen to oppose on another day.

Spotting winning and losing efforts that may be underestimated or overestimated in the future can be key.