PUNCHESTOWN (19 Nov 2005)

Soft

2:15 Christmas Parties At Punchestown Novice Handicap Hurdle (4yo+,74-116)

[off 2:15] £6,370.92, £1,484.40, £654.61, £378.01 2m

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Game Ball Ali M Halford 4 10-7 J P Murtagh 12/1 88 — —

2 shd Dulgodti Bob D T Hughes 5 11-1 b Mr R Loughran(3) 12/1 99 — —

3 3 Syroco (FR) A L T Moore 6 10-13 D J Casey 11/2 94 — —

4 4½ Fox Point (USA) Niall Madden 5 9-13 N P Madden 10/1 80 — —

5 hd Return Home (GB) C Roche 6 9-4 A D Leigh(7) 12/1 78 — —

6 Saipan (FR) Gerard Keane 4 9-11 R Geraghty 20/1 78 — —

7 Platium Starlight Thomas O´Neill 5 9-5 A E Lynch(5) 12/1 77 — —

8 Jambo Jack Henry De Bromhead 5 10-8 b1 Andrew J McNamara 16/1 89 — —

9 Stepping Out Well F Flood 5 10-7 G T Hutchinson 16/1 88 — —

10 Mac Robin´s Lass Gerard Keane 5 10-4 M P Walsh(3) 20/1 88 — —

11 Bammers D T Hughes 7 10-2 C D Maxwell(7) 20/1 90 — —

12 Green Black (FR) A L T Moore 5 10-4 D J Howard 25/1 85 — —

13 Dukestreet (GB) Michael Cunningham 4 10-2 R C Colgan(3) 25/1 86 — —

14 The Fonze Eoin Doyle 4 12-0 6 G Cotter 7/4F 109 — —

15 Rookwith T G McCourt 5 11-1 J L Cullen 14/1 96 — —

16 Cupid´s Bow (GB) Michael Cunningham 5 9-12 p M P Flanagan(7) 14/1 86 — —

17 Eclair D´Irlande (FR) C A Murphy 5 10-6 t A J Donoghue(3) 12/1 90 — —

18 Barrow Bridge P Hughes 7 11-5 J P Elliott 16/1 100 — —

19 Run My Lord Patrick Michael Verling 8 11-2 B M Cash 14/1 97 — —

19 ran TIME 4m 40.50s (slow by 54.50s) TOTAL SP 158%

1st OWNER: Cluain Searrach Syndicate BRED: South Eastern Racing Syndicate TRAINER: M Halford

2nd OWNER: James J Gleeson

3rd OWNER: Outside The Box Syndicate

TOTE WIN £14.80 PL £3.30, £1.60, £1.60, £2.40; CSF £176.06; TRICAST £934.98

ANALYSIS: Contesting his first handicap, GAME BALL ALI got up in the dying strides to get off the mark. He handles this testing ground and looks like he'll get further.
Dulgodti Bob was the pick of the Dessie Hughes pair on paper and was only just denied. Successful in a Ballinrobe maiden hurdle over 2m4f, he was dropping back in trip but he looks to be on a competitive mark.
Syroco had the benefit of a couple of runs on the Flat since proving a disappointing favourite when only fifth of seven behind Jim at Naas in a 2m handicap hurdle last February. There was a valid excuse after that when he had suffered from an upper respiratory tract infection and this was more encouraging. He should come on for the run.
Fox Point looks another worth keeping on the right side considering this was his first outing over jumps since June last year while Return Home indicated some ability to make his presence felt in a similar event.
The Fonze was bidding for his fourth on the bounce and looked to be well-in considering he had 10lb in hand of his revised rating. He got to the front briefly after leaving the back straight but then the distress signals went up and he dropped out of contention.