BANGOR-ON-DEE (14 Dec 2005)

Good

2:40 Nichola Jane "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle (Class E) (4yo+)

[off 2:40] £3,541.87, £1,039.80, £519.90, £259.68 9 hdles 2m1f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Fier Normand (FR) Jonjo O´Neill 6 10-12 R McGrath 10/11F — —

2 1¾ Fourty Acers (IRE) M C Pipe 5 10-12 R Greene 9/2 — —

3 9 Nice Try (IRE) Miss Venetia Williams 6 10-7 P C O´Neill(5) 20/1 — —

4 5 Sabreur Ian Williams 4 10-12 R Thornton 16/1 — —

5 1 Nocturnally V R A Dartnall 5 10-12 J Crowley 16/1 — —

6 3 Hatton House (IRE) D McCain 5 10-12 G Lee 100/1 — —

7 ½ Easby Mandarin C W Thornton 4 10-12 F Keniry 100/1 — —

8 1½ Corals Laurel (IRE) R T Phillips 6 10-12 W Marston 11/2 — —

9 nk Paradise Bay (IRE) C J Mann 4 10-12 N Fehily 20/1 — —

10 1¼ Reap The Reward (IRE) L Lungo 5 10-9 G Berridge(3) 33/1 — —

11 3½ Kilmackilloge M Todhunter 6 10-12 A Dobbin 20/1 — —

12 ½ Saddlers Express H D Daly 4 10-0 T Greenway(5) 66/1 — —

13 1 Beluga (IRE) M Pitman 6 10-12 P Moloney 50/1 — —

14 hd China Fare (IRE) Miss Lucinda V Russell 5 10-2 P Buchanan(3) 100/1 — —

15 1¾ Fill The Bunker (IRE) N A Twiston-Davies 5 10-5 S Crawford(7) 50/1 — —

16 8 Alf´s Spinney Ian Williams 5 10-12 T Scudamore 100/1 — —

17 7 Cloud Venture S E H Sherwood 5 10-12 J Tizzard 100/1 — —

PU Steel Warrior J S Smith 8 10-5 R Lucey-Butler(7) 100/1 — —

18 ran TIME 4m 6.20s (slow by 10.70s) TOTAL SP 126%

1st OWNER: John P McManus BRED: Thierry Picard TRAINER: Jonjo O'Neill

2nd OWNER: Ms Y Spencer-Thompson

3rd OWNER: The Juggins Partnership

TOTE WIN £1.80 PL £1.40, £1.70, £3.60; Ex £8.70; CSF £4.58

ANALYSIS: Some promising sorts on show here and the fact that FIER NORMAND and Fourty Acers finished clear of the pack augured well for their futures.

Fier Normand, a soft-ground bumper winner at Downpatrick a year ago, had finished ahead of Fourty Acers when the pair met over hurdles at Stratford in October and, while he had to work hard to confirm his superiority and showed a tendency to hang under pressure, he asserted his superiority on the run-in and should improve further when stepped up in trip.

Fourty Acers, who had jumped moderately in the Stratford race but was more convincing under a more positive ride at Exeter next time, again had plenty of use made of him and did not give up without a fight. His turn cannot be far off.

Nice Try was left behind by the front two in the closing stages and this ex-Irish pointer is going to need a stiffer test to be seen to best effect.