PUNCHESTOWN (05 Feb 2006)

Yielding

1:10 Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Handicap Hurdle (4yo+,0-140)

[off 1:10] £12,346.55, £3,622.41, £1,725.86, £587.93 3m

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Dead Sound T J Taaffe 6 10-6 B J Geraghty 9/2 118 — —

2 2 Contact Dancer C F Swan 7 9-12 D J Casey 5/1 110 — —

3 hd No Half Session Noel Meade 9 10-0 P Carberry EvensF 112 — —

4 nk Numbersixvalverde Martin Brassil 10 10-4 N P Madden 7/1 116 — —

5 1½ Kadoun M J P O´Brien 9 11-7 T G M Ryan(3) 20/1 136 — —

6 Fortmassini C Roche 5 10-10 b A P Crowe 9/1 122 — —

7 Manjoe David Wachman 8 10-2 K Whelan 25/1 114 — —

F Yukon Thomas Mullins 8 9-10 t J M Allen 33/1 108 — —

8 ran TIME 6m 16.20s (slow by 33.20s) TOTAL SP 118%

NON RUNNER: Bright Gas (GB)

1st OWNER: John P McManus BRED: Michael Conlon TRAINER: T J Taaffe

2nd OWNER: Michael Watt

3rd OWNER: R D Murphy

TOTE WIN £5.20 PL £1.20, £1.60, £1.40; Ex £24.70; CSF £27.60; TRICAST £39.52

ANALYSIS: DEAD SOUND produced a good effort on only his sixth run to win this off a mark of 118 in a finish that was fought out by two lightly raced sorts. Settled just off the pace-setting duo of Contact Dancer and Kadoun, he went to the front after the second-last and stuck to his task well in the closing stages. On his previous handicap start he was a commendable third to Le Coudray and Patsy Hall at Leopardstown and probably ran to a similar level here. An unexposed sort, he remains open to further progress and should make a nice staying chaser in time.

Contact Dancer, the former English Cesarewitch winner, ran a fine race in second. He was a solid fourth to Patsy Hall in the Pertemps Qualifier and improved on that with a game effort. He stuck to his task when headed and sees out this trip well. This was only his fifth run over jumps and there will be more to come from him.

No Half Session produced a solid effort in third, and stayed on well from the turn in to almost catch Contact Dancer. A much-improved staying chaser towards the end of last season, he appeals as the type that could win a big prize over fences this spring.

Similarly, Numbersixvalverde kept on well under pressure in the closing stages. Last season's Irish Grand National hero, who was fourth in the Leopardstown Chase on his previous start, remains a horse to keep on the right side of when he goes back over fences.

Kadoun began to struggle after three out, but to his credit the top weight battled on well again inthe straight. A classy hurdler/chaser at his best, he showed signs of a return to form and will be of interest next time he runs.