07:45 Newbury has no sign of any frost this morning and the going is Good to Soft for the meeting which sees the first Hunters' Chase of 2012

08:54 We currently have two non-runners, details on the right.

12:09 Good afternoon from Newbury where it is overcast but the drizzle has stopped. No significant breeze today, what breeze there is is light side on left to right in home straight.

12:25 Forgot to mention a going change:-

Chase Course: Good to Soft (6.5)
Hurdle Course: Soft, Good to Soft in Places (5.1)

12:29 It is very pleasantly mild here at Newbury - I'm comfortably strolling round in shirt sleeves today.

12:51 Our opening contest is the Berkshire Stand Bookshop Juvenile Hurdle, an extended two mile contest with just six off to post.

Circus Star was getting quite keen and on his toes in the parade ring. The favourite, Grumeti, could best be described as a keen head shaker. Sud Pacifique looked nice, albeit quite a small horse.  

12:56 David's Dilemma is almost running away with his rider going to post

13:15 Absolutely farcical scenes in the opening contest as a 40/1 outsider wins a race which was eventful even before it started.

Circus Star was found to have a loose shoe at the start which was eventually removed by the farrier, however it did little to improve his somewhat fractious mood and he charge the starting tape, causing a false start. It took a good two furlongs to pull up Circus Star and it was seven minutes after the scheduled start time the race finally got underway.

Unsurprisingly Circus Star set the pace and was ten lengths clear by the first hurdle where he all but refused almost climbing over the flight.

He regained a big lead by the second where he did finally refuse, sending his rider Sean Quinlan into the wings of the flight.

Some sort of proper order was resumed after that incident with the odds-on favourite Grumeti taking up the running, shadowed by Art History with Sud Pacifique in third.

Turning for home Sud Pacifique was the first of the top three to crack, with Crafty Roberto challenging for third and Davids Dilemma virtually pulled up.

It's a shame Davids Dilemma wasn't pulled-up as he took a horrible fall three out. He was down for some time but did, eventually, get up and walk back to the stables.

Meanwhile,  up-front, Grumeti had opened up the sort of lead one would expect from an odds-on favourite. Only to take a slithering fall at the second last.

This left Art History clear and looking the likely winner as he cleared the final flight well clear.

However Crafty Roberto was coming with a wet sail and he ran-on to record a 1½ length victory over Art History.

Sud Pacifique was the only other finisher, eleven lengths in arrears.     

13:32 Race two sees just four go to post for the 2m 1f Zenergi Novices' Chase.

After all the shenanigans in the opener I didn't have time to see the runners in the second in the parade ring

13:40 A much less dramatic second contest although chasing debutant Cedre Bleu put in some very hairy jumps - jumping into the rear of Lidar on at least two occasions.

Bellvano was happy to track the front duo with Geraghty poised to pounce late on.

He made his move approaching the last and it looked to be race over and Nicky Hendersons 100th winner of the season as Cedre Bleu was under strong driving.

Then all of a sudden Bellvano was struggling, as commentator Richard Hoiles put it "running on a flat tyre" and Cedre Blue pulled clear for a hard driven and frankly unexpected 2½ length victory.

Lidar came home third, a further four lengths in arrears.  

13:56 From four runners to sixteen as they go to post for the 3m 3f Rutland Antique Centre Bakewell Novices' Hurdle.

I did not get to see Carrigmora King in the parade ring but Civil Disobedience and Loughalder both looked really nice. Sunny Legend and Martin's Shadow were very slight negatives.

14:12 A relatively uneventful contest although the first flight in the back straight is proving to be troublesome as Martin's Shadow did a repeat of Circus Star and putting his rider through the wings, although he did well to get that far as he virtually refused to race.

Up front Sunny Legend, conceding weight to all his rivals put in a good front running performance and it was only approaching two out he was headed by the impressive looking favourite Carrigmorna King.

Now the record books will show Carrigmorna King came home the 1¼ length winner but what the bare records will not show is how brave and tenacious Sunny Legend was and the top weight lost absolutely nothing in defeat.

The duo were nine lengths plus clear of their rivals, who were headed by Desert Joe.

Civil Disobedience was prominent in the early stages, only to fade a mile from home.  

14:29 Another sixteen runner contest, this time over the larger obstacles. The Oakley Coachbuilders Handicap Chase, for the Harwell Trophy is a three mile contest.

14:45 As the temperatures begin to drop a finish to warm the cockles of ones heart with a three way go to the line.

It was Glens Boy who just managed to get his neck in front with the favourite, Ikorodu Road, coming home second and Monbeg Dude a further head back in third.

All three had been prominent for the latter half of the contest, along with Sound Stage who fell at the last. The horse was quickly up but rider Tom O'Brien took a while to get up and had to be helped to an ambulance which bought him back to the medical room.

Ballyfoy was a running on fourth but 15 lengths behind the first three.     

15:01 Down to a more manageable seven runners for our next contest, the European Breeders Fund / Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Mares' Novices' Chase a 2½ mile contest.

15:20 The easiest winner of the afternoon so far as Kateal comes home for favourite backers, eight lengths clear of his rivals.

The runners-up spot went to Araucaria who, had this been a flat race, would probably have hacked up as she ran well between fences but lost ground at most of the obstacles with some ponderous jumping.  

Lady Karinga came home third,  a further eight lengths back.

Brixen and Bellaboosh were disputing the running with Kateal for most of the contest but both dropped out tamely in the home straight although they did, at least, finish. Unlike Molly Round and Kings Queen who both pulled up in the home straight.

15:33 The Pashmina UK 'Junior' Standard Open NH Flat Race, a 1m 4f contest is next up.

Rydon Pynes was whinnying like a baby, Onward is slightly on his toes and The Happy Warrior is a huge horse looking like a future chaser.

15:47 My Inheritance gives weight all round to follow up his Ffos Las win with victory in the bumper, running on in the final two furlongs and holding on to record a 1¼ length victory.

However the one to really take out of the race is the runner-up Rydon Pynes, running on well late on from what looked to be an impossible position and sure to benefit from the experience, especially after his antics in the parade ring.

With his late run he just denied Lord Of The Dunes the runners-up spot by a head.

The favourite, Workbench, was prominent in a packed field but faded late on to finish seventh.

16:02 It's only mid-January but we now have our first Hunters' Chase of the season, the extended 2¾mile M&C Carpets Hunters' Chase with thirteen off to face a starter in what looks like a cracking contest.

My Flora was having a good look around the parade ring and she looks fit.

16:23  Chapoturgeon, well backed, takes the Hunters' Chase coming home an unopposed 16 lengths clear of his rivals, recording his first victory since winning the Jewson at the 2009 Festival.

Now Listen To Me who set the pace finished second, with Cloudy Lane third.

The favourite, My Flora, looked beaten when falling in third place two out.

Picts Hill pulled up lame after making a mistake at the 11th and was bought back in the equine ambulance. 

16:36 That's it from a good and somewhat eventful afternoon at Newbury, there was certainly no lack of excitement.

My "weekend" starts here and my next racing will be on your weekend at Ascot on Saturday, from the Berkshire twilight good afternoon.

  Return to race archive:

Non-Runners

The time in brackets is the time the horse was officially declared a non-runner.

SC - Self Certificate
VC - Vet's Certificate

Non-runners

13:00
7 Levantera (not eaten up - SC 10:05)
8 One Lucky Lady (not eaten up - SC 08:32)

14:35
7 Mister Wiseman (travel - 10:40)

15:40
11 Pow R Jack (bad scope - SC 08:44)

Results

13:00 Juvenile Hurdle 2m 110yds

13:30 Novices' Chase 2m 1f

14:05 Novices' Hurdle 2m 3f

14:35 Handicap Chase 3m

15:10 Novices' Chase 2m 4f

15:40 Open NH Flat 1m 4f

16:15 Hunters' Chase 2m 5f 110yds