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1:10 Betdirect On Snooker Handicap (Div I) (6) (3yo+,0-55)

[off 1:11] £2,548.45, £752.40, £376.39 (1m141y) 1m½f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Gem Bien (USA) (13) D W Chapman 7 8-13 p A Culhane 12/1 54 54 61

2 nk Star Fern (12) M J Attwater 4 8-5 1 J Quinn 9/1 46 45 52

3 1¾ Young Mick (7) G G Margarson 3 8-12 b J Mackay 10/1 55 50 58

4 nk Cost Analysis (IRE) (1) M A Jarvis 3 8-11 t M Henry 5/1F 54 49 56

5 ¾ Sonntag Blue (IRE) (9) Miss J Feilden 3 8-1 b Donna Caldwell(7) 20/1 51 44 51

6 ¾ Dara Mac (8) L P Grassick 6 8-11 L P Keniry 11/2 52 43 51

7 shd Shaheer (IRE) (2) Mrs L J Mongan 3 8-10 I Mongan 7/1 53 44 52

8 1¾ Azreme (5) P Howling 5 8-11 S Drowne 8/1 52 39 47

9 3 Harare (3) R J Price 4 8-13 P Hanagan 11/2 54 34 43

10 ½ Padre Nostro (IRE) (11) J R Holt 6 9-0 B Reilly 40/1 55 34 43

11 3½ Lady Suesanne (IRE) (4) N Wilson 3 8-6 b D R McCabe 20/1 49 20 29

12 16 Zantero (6) W M Brisbourne 3 8-4 E Ahern 9/1 47 — —

12 ran TIME 1m 50.00s (slow by 1.30s) TOTAL SP 119%

NON RUNNER: Veneer (IRE)

1st OWNER: J M Chapman BRED: George Pruette TRAINER: D W Chapman

2nd OWNER: Miss Vivian Pratt

3rd OWNER: M F Kentish

TOTE WIN £21.40 PL £5.40, £2.80, £3.30; Ex £229.90; CSF £114.05; TRICAST £1150.86

ANALYSIS: A moderate event, run at a decent pace, with the finish fought out by a couple of hold-up horses, GEM BIEN and Star Fern. Both horses were switched wide off the turn to deliver their challenges, and it was Gem Bien, bouncing back to form after a break, who got the call for his fifth win of the year.

Star Fern, who has been running in banded races recently, turned in a sound effort on this return to handicap racing and will not need to improve much to take a similar event.

Young Mick, who showed promise at two but has yet to live up to it, was recording his first placing of the year but was made to look very one-paced at the business end.

The frustrating Cost Analysis, who is now 10lb lower than when third at Yarmouth in August, raced without the recently tried blinkers but got going much too late to trouble the principals. On this evidence, the mile suits him better than the shorter trips he has been racing over, but he is an expensive horse to follow.