EXETER (21 Feb 2006)

Soft

3:00 Weatherbys Bank Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle (class 3) (4yo+,0-125)

[off 3:00] £7,515.60, £2,220.00, £1,110.00, £555.60, £277.20, £139.20 9 hdles 1 omitted 2m3f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Bally Bolshoi (IRE) Mrs S D Williams 6 10-3 R Johnson 11/2 99 77 106

2 1¾ De Blanc (IRE) Miss Venetia Williams 6 11-10 S Thomas 6/4F 120 96 125

3 10 Precious Mystery (IRE) A King 6 10-13 v R Thornton 4/1 109 74 106+

4 30 Longstone Lady (IRE) J D Frost 9 9-11 26 C Honour(5) 33/1 98 30 63

5 5 Sword Lady Mrs S D Williams 8 11-5 b P J Brennan 15/2 115 41 75

6 21 Darjeeling (IRE) P F Nicholls 7 10-12 Christian Williams 5/1 108 10 47

PU Nostra (FR) M C Pipe 5 11-12 A P McCoy 20/1 122 — —

7 ran TIME 4m 55.40s (slow by 35.40s) TOTAL SP 111%

1st OWNER: Mrs Rowena Cotton BRED: Stephen Lanigan-O'Keeffe TRAINER: Mrs S D Williams

2nd OWNER: Jeremy Hancock

3rd OWNER: The Dunnkirk Partnership

TOTE WIN £8.20 PL £2.60, £1.60; Ex £18.20; CSF £13.96

Flight past the stands omitted.

ANALYSIS: A mares' only handicap hurdle that only looked run-of-the-mill on paper but BALLY BOLSHOI bounced back from a disappointing show at Warwick last time when connections consider the race came too quick after her Chepstow victory. She is nothing if not brave and is always worth a second glance in these types of races.

De Blanc, winner of a 3m2f chase last time, was switched back to hurdles, and ran well. She is obviously very adaptable and her trainer is a dab hand at placing horses such as her.It would be no surprise to see her try her luck back over fences next time.