ASCOT 17 February 2007 Good To Soft

2:55 O'Callaghan Hotels Richard Power Novices' Hurdle (Class 3) (5yo+) 11 hdles (2m3f110y) 2m3½f

[off 2:55] £6,506.00, £1,910.00, £955.00, £477.00

TRAINER Age Wgt JOCKEY SP OR TS RPR

1 Warlord R H Buckler 6 11-0 Richard Johnson 3/1 91 —

2 10 Sound Accord (IRE) D W P Arbuthnot 6 11-0 Tom Doyle 9/1 81 —

3 5 National Trust Miss H Lewis 5 10-11 Liam Treadwell(3) 13/2 76 —

4 3½ Best Actor (IRE) Carl Llewellyn 8 11-5 Carl Llewellyn 11/10F 77 —

5 38 Mountain Of Dreams R H York 5 10-7 Mr N Kinnon(7) 100/1 31 —

6 2½ Phoenix Hill (IRE) D R Gandolfo 5 10-9 Sam Curling(5) 50/1 29 —

7 25 Anty Wren Mary Meek 5 11-0 R J Greene 100/1 1 —

8 47 Double Intruder (IRE) N J Gifford 6 11-0 Leighton Aspell 33/1 — —

BD Greenhill Bramble (IRE) N J Hawke 7 11-0 Jamie Moore 9/1 114 — —

F Stripe Me Blue P J Jones 5 10-9 C M Studd(5) 16/1 — —

10 ran TIME 4m 55.70s (slow by 23.70s) TOTAL SP 118%

NON RUNNER: Rucolino (IRE)

1st OWNER: Nick Elliott BRED: H G Llewellyn TRAINER: R H Buckler

2nd OWNER: George Ward

3rd OWNER: Walters Plant Hire Ltd

TOTE WIN £4.20 PL £1.10, £2.40, £2.80; Ex £32.80; CSF £29.87Pool: £1,165.10 - 7.23 winning units. TRIFECTA £114.40 Pool: £1,165.10 - 7.23 winning units.

This was notable for a strong pace thanks to Best Actor, but plenty of interest was lost mid-race when Stripe Me Blue, who was tanking up the straight behind the front three, took a heavy fall, brought down Greenhill Bramble and effectively put Double Intruder out of the race, although the latter made a brave effort to rally.

WARLORD strode clear impressively from the home turn and was still galloping strongly at the line. He is seen as a 3m chaser in the making but on this display he can win more hurdles as he goes up in distance.

Sound Accord ran a strange race as he was on and off the bridle and wandered left and right. The tacky ground was probably not in his favour and he was a comfortable second from the last, galloping onwell on this hurdling debut. He can win his races through the spring.

National Trust is another strapping sort, who was always mixing it up front. He did not look the strongest stayer on the Flat and this step up in trip proved just too far, as hewas plodding on going to the last.

2:45 Foundation Developments Novices' Hurdle (Class 3) (4yo+) 11 hdles (2m3f110y) 2m3½f

[off 2:55] £6,506.00, £1,910.00, £955.00, £477.00

1 Ringaroses Miss H C Knight 5 11-6 Timmy Murphy 15/8F 71 121+

2 3½ Breathing Fire Mrs John Harrington 4 11-6 R M Power 5/2 67 115+

3 1¼ Warlord (GB) R H Buckler 5 10-11 Daryl Jacob(3) 66/1 60 108+

4 6 Special Envoy (FR) P Bowen 4 11-0 Richard Johnson 11/1 54 101

5 3 Pyleigh Lady P J Hobbs 5 10-0 Darren O´Dwyer(7) 66/1 44 91

6 7 King Cyrus (IRE) Evan Williams 4 11-0 Paul Moloney 50/1 43 91

7 2 Stoney Drove (FR) Miss H C Knight 6 11-0 M D Grant 66/1 41 89

8 25 Golden Child (IRE) N A Twiston-Davies 4 10-9 Mr D England(5) 7/1 14 64

9 19 Blazing Guns (IRE) Miss H C Knight 7 10-11 Liam Heard(3) 100/1 — 45

10 ¾ Grecian Groom (IRE) Jonjo O´Neill 4 11-0 t A P McCoy 25/1 — 44

11 6 Jack The Blaster J Howard Johnson 6 11-6 t P J Brennan 9/1 — 44

12 3½ Wester Lodge (IRE) J M P Eustace 4 11-0 Mark Bradburne 100/1 — 35

13 6 Michabo (IRE) P Bowen 5 11-0 T J O´Brien 10/1 — 29

SU Yufo (IRE) N J Gifford 6 11-0 Leighton Aspell 16/1 — —

14 ran TIME 4m 56.80s (slow by 24.80s) TOTAL SP 121%

NON RUNNERS: Fearnought ,Here´s Johnny (IRE)

1st OWNER: Mrs Nicholas Jones/Martin Broughton BRED: Coln Valley Stud TRAINER: Miss H C Knight

2nd OWNER: Howard Spooner

3rd OWNER: Nick Elliott

TOTE WIN £3.10 PL £1.60, £1.80, £7.50; Ex £9.70; CSF £6.51Part won. Pool £883.41 - 0.90 winning units. TRIFECTA £627.20 Part won. Pool £883.41 - 0.90 winning units.

The way RINGAROSES came from last to first to smoothly take a competitive novice suggests we shall be seeing him as a live contender for the 2m5f novices' hurdle at Cheltenham in March. The last foal of the Stayers' Hurdle winner Rose Ravine, the 5yohas now won four of his five career starts and is likely to have one more outing en route to the Festival.

What made the success so creditable was the way Ringaroses was able to confidently pick off his rivals one by one and then have enough left in the tank to brush aside the dangerous-looking challenge of Breathing Fire between the last two flights. By his trainer's admission he is a quirky customer, but nobody could argue that he doesn't have an engine and come March he could be among those to set the standard in the Ballymore Properties Hurdle.

Breathing Fire boasted just one success in 11 starts over hurdles but had frequently hit the crossbar and found himself in the runner-up spot for the fourth time in as many outings. His connections now know 2m4f is within his stamina compass.

Warlord made a bold move between the fourth and third-last hurdles and shaped most encouragingly on a hurdling debut which ended up being a baptism of fire. His trainer can now confidently aim him at any normal novice and expect him to win it.

Special Envoy had been campaigned on the Flat in France and Norway and failed to cut much ice on his UK debut at Hereford. There was far more promise in this display and the way he travelled suggests he couldbenefit from a drop to the minimum trip.