EXETER, 20 March 2007, Good To Soft

4:20 Robert Webb Travel Open Hunters' Chase (Class 5) (5yo+) (3m1f110y) 3m1½f

[off 4:22] £2,498.40, £774.80, £387.20, £193.60

1 Whitenzo (FR) P F Nicholls 11 11-5 t Mr N Scholfield(7) 13/8 119 — —

2 22 Back Nine (IRE) Miss J Western 10 11-13 Mr D Alers-Hankey(3) 6/5F 120 — —

3 6 Royal Scandal Mrs Susan Smith 11 11-9 Mr J Barnes(7) 16/1 89 — —

4 nk Mister Club Royal Ms Emma Oliver 11 11-5 Mr G Weatherley(7) 25/1 82 — —

5 3 Trade Off (IRE) Mrs S Alner 9 11-9 Mr I Chanin(7) 12/1 101 — —

6 14 Mighty Montefalco Mrs A De Lisle Wells 11 11-5 Miss S Charrington(7) 10/1 — —

PU Dun Locha Castle (IRE) Mrs E Mitchell 12 11-5 Mr R G Henderson(7) 80/1 80 — —

PU Handyman (IRE) Michael M Watson 13 11-9 Mr D Edwards(3) 25/1 — —

PU Ross Go Lad (IRE) Mrs C Hussey 10 11-5 Mr C Dailly(7) 66/1 — —

9 ran TIME 6m 36.30s TOTAL SP 116%

1st OWNER: Exors of the late G Z Mizel BRED: Bernard Micon TRAINER: P F Nicholls

2nd OWNER: Mrs Susan Humphreys

3rd OWNER: Mrs L M Edwards

TOTE WIN £2.70 PL £1.20, £1.10, £4.00; Ex £5.10; CSF £4.09

Formerly fairly smart under Rules, WHITENZO managed to reverse recent Sandown placings with Back Nine on much different ground in this hunters' chase. Underfoot conditions were ideal for the winner, and he never looked like getting picked up from some way out. There is every chance he will add to this win.

Back Nine was never going as well as he had last time in the mud, and seems to need soft ground to be seen at his best.

Royal Scandal was taking on better company than he beat at Taunton, and this is as good as he is.

SANDOWN 16 February 2007 Soft

3:00 Royal Artillery Gold Cup Chase (For Amateur Riders) (Class 3) (5yo+,0-130) 22 fences (3m110y) 3m½f

[off 3:01] £6,246.00, £1,937.00, £968.00, £484.00

1 Back Nine (IRE) Miss J Western 10 11-7 Major D Alers-Hankey(3) 8/11F 120 — —

2 21 Whitenzo (FR) P F Nicholls 11 12-10 t Capt J Snowden 15/8 126 — —

3 17 Temple Dog (IRE) M F Loggin 11 11-7 p Capt T W C Edwards(7) 16/1 96 — —

4 15 Cedar Chief K Tork 10 11-3 b Capt H Wallace(7) 33/1 81 — —

5 103 Wild About Harry M I Mason 10 11-13 10 Sgt Harry Grantham(7) 66/1 76 — —

UR Clearly In Motion (IRE) C J Mann 10 11-12 p Mr J Sole(7) 16/1 86 — —

REF Tiawana (IRE) W T Reed 11 11-3 Capt Veronica M Robb(7) 100/1 81 — —

7 ran TIME 6m 40.88s (slow by 37.88s) TOTAL SP 109%

1st OWNER: Mrs Susan Humphreys BRED: Mrs C L Weld TRAINER: Miss J Western

2nd OWNER: Major A M J Shaw

3rd OWNER: Major J Thorneloe

TOTE WIN £1.70 PL £1.10, £1.60; Ex £2.80; CSF £2.26

A two-horse race on paper, and so it proved, although what the form is worth is open to debate.

BACK NINE went down narrowly to Inca Trail in this race 12 months earlier, but he had yet to win over fences and was beaten in a hunter chase at Wincanton on his reappearance, albeit by Sonevafushi in a decent one in which his main rival here, Whitenzo, was back in fourth. Getting a stone from Whitenzo, he kept him in his sights throughout and went past him with surprising ease after three out before galloping clear. The winner's connections were worried about the ground, following two wind operations, and reckon good ground is ideal. They are not sure if he will return for the Grand Military or a hunter chase.

Whitenzo won this race two years ago, but he was not in the same form last season. He looked to enjoy himself, bowling along in the lead, jumping well in the main, but when Back Nine challenged him, he folded tamely. He just doesn't look the horse he was.

WINCANTON, 01 February 2007, Good To Soft

4:40 Stewart Tory Memorial Hunters' Chase (Class 6) (6yo+) (3m1f110y) 3m1½f

[off 4:42] £1,648.25, £507.00, £253.50

1 Sonevafushi (FR) Miss Venetia Williams 9 12-7 Mr T Greenall 7/4F 135 112 133+

2 1¼ Back Nine (IRE) Miss J Western 10 12-0 Miss P Gundry 14/1 120 104 123

3 3 Risk Accessor (IRE) Jonjo O´Neill 12 12-4 Mr A J Berry(3) 11/4 133 109 129+

4 7 Whitenzo (FR) P F Nicholls 11 12-0 t Mr N Scholfield(7) 13/2 126 103 124+

5 19 Red Brook Lad C St V Fox 12 12-4 Miss C Tizzard(3) 6/1 107 87 101

6 4 No Retreat (NZ) Ms L J Willis 14 12-0 Mr W Kinsey(7) 22/1 109 84 97

PU Innocent Rebel (USA) C Heard 6 11-7 Mr C Heard(7) 25/1 — —

PU Long Night Mrs M J McGuinness 8 11-13 Mr R Woollacott(5) 14/1 — —

8 ran TIME 6m 42.30s TOTAL SP 112%

1st OWNER: B C Dice BRED: Gil M Protti TRAINER: Miss Venetia Williams

2nd OWNER: Mrs Susan Humphreys

3rd OWNER: John P McManus

TOTE WIN £3.00 PL £1.30, £2.30, £1.50; Ex £25.70; CSF £24.97Place 6 £780.51, Place 5 £572.02

JACKPOT Not won.

PLACEPOT £657.00 to a £1 stake. Pool: £72,591.55. 80.65 winning tickets.

QUADPOT £148.20 to a £1 stake. Pool: £3,945.60. 19.70 winning tickets.

A fairly competitive hunters chase which saw SONEVAFUSHI come out on top and qualify himself for one of the Foxhunters at Cheltenham or Aintree. He was decent under Rules and there is no reason why he cannot win more of these types of contest.

Back Nine was not as highly rated as the winner under Rules but he showed here that there are races in him this term and beyond.

Risk Accessor was notoriously hard to win with under Rules but did himself no favours with a bad mistake at the last on the far side. But he soon recovered well enough and will find one of these in the near future.