NEWBURY (12 Feb 2005)

Good To Soft

4:40 totesportcasino.com Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (Class A) Grade 2 (4-6yo)

[off 4:43] £12,000.00, £4,600.00, £2,300.00, £1,100.00 (2m110y) 2m½f

Comments In Running

1 Karanja V R A Dartnall 6 11-3 Miss N Carberry(7) 14/1

2 3½ Be Be King (IRE) P F Nicholls 6 11-7 R Walsh 15/8F

3 1¾ De Soto P R Webber 4 10-7 T Doyle 6/1

4 10 Mr Pointment (IRE) C R Egerton 6 11-7 A P McCoy 9/2

5 6 Oscardeal (IRE) C T Pogson 6 11-0 A Pogson(7) 50/1

6 2½ Wee Robbie N J Gifford 5 11-7 L Aspell 25/1

7 7 Lutea (IRE) M C Pipe 5 11-10 T J Murphy 16/1

8 2½ Flinders Bay (IRE) Miss H C Knight 5 11-7 J Culloty 16/1

9 ½ Greenhill Bramble (IRE) P J Hobbs 5 11-7 P Flynn 7/1

10 6 Eaton Hall (IRE) N A Twiston-Davies 5 11-3 C Llewellyn 50/1

11 3 Ice Cream (FR) M E D Francis 4 10-0 B J Crowley 100/1

12 6 Earth Man (IRE) P F Nicholls 6 11-10 J Tizzard 9/1

13 2½ Cappanrush (IRE) D J S Ffrench Davis 5 11-3 A Tinkler 100/1

14 22 Creinch O Sherwood 4 10-11 J A McCarthy 14/1

15 11 Well Actually (IRE) B G Powell 5 11-3 M A Fitzgerald 50/1

16 1¼ Katy Jones Noel T Chance 5 10-3 t W Kennedy(7) 25/1

17 dist Magna A B Coogan 6 11-3 S Durack 100/1

17 ran TIME 3m 53.30s TOTAL SP 131%

1st OWNER: D G Staddon BRED: Mrs Diane Brown TRAINER: V R A Dartnall

2nd OWNER: C G Roach

3rd OWNER: P A Deal

TOTE WIN £16.70 PL £3.90, £1.70, £2.40; Ex £73.40; CSF £41.85Place 6 £11.84, Place 5 £6.62

ANALYSIS: Plenty of previous winners and a sound pace throughout point to this being one of the best bumpers of the season so far. Considering the headwind, which had died down a little, they recorded a notable time as well.

That the first three finished well clear marks them down as well above average and KARANJA heads for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and looked to fully deserve his quote of 10-1 from Coral and 8-1 (from 16-1) from Paddy Power, which makes him second favourite.

The only worry would be that he thrived on the good pace and any tactical affair at Cheltenham would count against him as he was momentarily outpaced around the home bend before putting his raking stride to good use.

Be Be King stuck more to the inside of the course up the straight and stayed on steadily without ever quite threatening to reel in the winner. He was still green under pressure and remains an exciting prospect to go hurdling.

De Soto made a big impression, thrown in at the deep end for this debut against more experienced rivals. He was getting lumps of weight from the front two as a four-year-old against his elders, but he travelled exceedingly well, taken wider away from rivals in the straight and momentarily looked the winner into the final two furlongs before tiring in the final furlong. He too ran green and looks sure to keep up winning family tradition.

Not many got into a challenging position from the back with the next home all having raced prominently.

Mr Pointment could not live with the front three up the straight but still finished nicely clear of the pack, having laid up with the pace.

Oscardeal showed his 66-1 win was no fluke and looks more of a stayer in the making. He picked up the baton from Lutea and hung right in there until outpaced through the final three furlongs.

Previous winners Wee Robbie, Greenhill Bramble, Lutea and Flinders Bay coming home in the trailing pack adds to the impression of the strength of the principals. Wee Robbie ran as if he wanted softer ground, looking uncomfortable when let down, but he showed guts in plugging on.