THERE was also Grade 1 action at Newbury on Wednesday, December 29th with Stage Star (157+) impressing on the clock winning the Challow Hurdle.

The overall race time comparison with Grade 1-winning chaser Dashel Drasher (154) shows the Grade 1 contest to be truly run as Jeremy Scott’s gelding employed his usual front-running tactics to land the handicap hurdle over the same course and distance.

The youngster also clocked the fastest closing sectional on the card to demonstrate he possesses a turn-of-foot to match his resolution. The son of Fame And Glory covered the ground in the home straight in 56.6 seconds with next best Gran Luna stopping the clock at 58.8 seconds. Dashel Drasher, while finding plenty for pressure, finished off slower in 60.8 seconds.

Although not being able to match the winner, West Balboa (150) posted a fast-finishing effort as she also surpassed Gran Luna (119) in closing off in 57.8 seconds from the third last hurdle. The daughter of Yeats looks a strong stayer in the making and her connections may just have found a replacement for the brilliant Roksana.

The presence of Gringo D’Aubrelle (146) in third adds further intrigue to how the race will impact on the pecking order for the spring festivals as the six-year-old takes up his future engagements on home soil. On this occasion, the son of Saddler Maker produced a finishing effort of 58.8 seconds to match Gran Luna.

Palais improving

The pick of the chases on the Newbury card was the Mandarin Handicap Chase won by the rapidly improving youngster Saint Palais (142). The four-year-old fought out a protracted duel with Gericault Roque (141) who himself is on the upgrade as the pair pulled clear of Nestor Park (130) who ran to the same level as when second in last year’s renewal. The overall race time when adjusted for distance was the best on the day with the shortened race over the final circuit adding further credence to the performance.

Heading out on the final circuit, Landofsmiles and Crypto (109) moved past early leader Run To Milan (109) and took the field down the back straight 0.5 seconds faster than The Russian Doyen (116) who led the two-mile chase earlier on the card. The nine-year-old in turn was 1.5 seconds quicker through the section than Fern Hill (131).

Ordinarily a strong early pace so early on would result in a pace collapse late in the piece. However here, after a slight pause rounding for home, Saint Palais and Gericault Roque covered the ground from the fourth last fence in 58.9 seconds which compares favourably with both Gallic Geordie (120) (58.4) and Grumpy Charlie (135+) (60.0).