KEMPTON (26 Dec 2004)

Good To Soft

3:45 Stan James Telebetting Handicap Hurdle (Class C) (4yo+,0-135)

[off 3:47] £9,273.04, £3,517.36, £1,758.68, £799.40, £399.70, £239.82 10 hdles 2m5f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Famous Grouse P Bowen 4 10-5 S Durack 3/1F 108 101 121+

2 nk Tumbling Dice (IRE) T J Taaffe 5 11-9 B J Geraghty 7/2 126 119 134

3 3½ Sixo (IRE) M C Pipe 7 11-12 T J Murphy 7/1 129 119 134

4 1½ Croix De Guerre (IRE) P J Hobbs 4 11-0 b R Johnson 12/1 117 106 120

5 1¾ Olney Lad Mrs P Robeson 5 10-12 b A P McCoy 12/1 115 102 117+

6 1¼ Touch Closer Miss V Scott 7 11-3 D Gallagher 20/1 120 106 120

7 30 Berengario (IRE) S C Burrough 4 10-3 1 T Scudamore 20/1 106 64 86+

8 ¾ Midnight Creek Miss V Scott 6 10-3 Mr T Davidson(7) 100/1 113 70 82

9 18 It´s Wallace Miss Sheena West 11 10-10 M Goldstein(7) 25/1 120 60 71

10 8 Lord Of Beauty (FR) Noel T Chance 4 11-5 B J Crowley 8/1 122 54 65

11 dist Vanormix (FR) C J Gray 5 10-13 v J Culloty 33/1 116 — —

F Blue Americo (IRE) P F Nicholls 6 11-3 R Walsh 11/2 120 — 122

12 ran TIME 5m 5.60s (slow by 10.60s) TOTAL SP 118%

NON RUNNERS: Buffalo Bill (IRE) ,One Nation (IRE)

1st OWNER: Gwilym J Morris BRED: Bottisham Heath Stud TRAINER: P Bowen

2nd OWNER: Mrs John Donegan

3rd OWNER: Matt Archer & Miss Jean Broadhurst

TOTE WIN £4.10 PL £1.90, £1.50, £3.00; Ex £10.60; CSF £13.25; TRICAST £68.54Place 6 £59.30, Place 5 £34.82

JACKPOT £1,440.80 to a £1 stake. Pool: £23,338.00. 11.50 winning tickets.

PLACEPOT £98.00 to a £1 stake. Pool: £167,237.41. 1,245.25 winning tickets.

QUADPOT £39.50 to a £1 stake. Pool: £6,352.80. 119.00 winning tickets.

ANALYSIS: Several of these looked plenty high enough in the handicap, and despite a strong pace there was bunching on the sweep for home in which the weakening Berengario suffered most, but it also caught up FAMOUS GROUSE, who rallied gamely to keep the prizein his stable as Peter Bowen won the race with Count Tony last year.

There looks to be more to come from Famous Grouse as he was particularly novicey at many of his hurdles and had to switch wide after the home-bend interference. As such he did well to win and it needed reserves of stamina to wear down Tumbling Dice, who looked to have his measure at the last.

Connections mentioned a qualifier for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham as a target and, while his Flat form and breeding does not suggest staying races, it looked a strong suit in this win. He is not over-big and the hurly burly of a big handicap does not look an ideal scenario, but he should win more races.

Irish challenger Tumbling Dice has paid heavily for his two recent wins and was due to go down 4lb in future handicaps, but he did nothing wrong, looking the likelier winner between the last two flights.

Sixo caught the eye on his first run in 268 days on ground that was always likely to be quick for this mudlover. He ran accordingly after being settled off the pace. He could never quite get into contention but stayed on stoutly. He had looked nailed by the handicapper for his good last run in Grade 1 company at Aintree but on this effort can still pay his way when getting his conditions.

Croix de Guerre moved into Berengario around the home bend having moved up menacingly at the end of the back straight and the coming together will not have helped, but he again could find no more over this longer trip after agood effort in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle.

Olney Lad still needs further help from the handicapper, while Touch Closer again suggested further was needed on a left-handed galloping track. He looked unhappy from an early stage but kept battling away to finish closer than had looked likely for over two miles.

Blue Americo remains frustrating, having again travelled strongly into contention, but he was struggling in sixth when taking a tired flop of a fall over the last.