NEWBURY (16 Sep 2005)

Good To Firm

4:25 Dubai Duty Free Foundation Handicap (4) (3yo+,0-85)

[off 4:27] £7,074.60, £2,176.80, £1,088.40, £544.20 (1m3f5y) 1m3f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Whirly Bird (5) Mrs A J Perrett 4 9-2 R L Moore 9/2F 82 73 94+

2 ½ Spear Thistle (3) J H M Gosden 3 8-6 K Darley 10/1 79 69 90

3 3 Soulacroix (13) Mrs A J Perrett 4 9-5 T E Durcan 10/1 85 70 91+

4 nk Flotta (1) B G Powell 6 9-2 T Quinn 16/1 82 66 88

5 ½ Sangiovese (9) H Morrison 6 8-5 T Block(7) 15/2 78 61 83

6 1¼ Countrywide Luck (8) N P Littmoden 4 8-7 b1 D Holland 20/1 73 54 76

7 ½ War At Sea (IRE) (6) M P Tregoning 3 8-7 Martin Dwyer 7/1 80 60 82

8 hd Dancing Lyra (4) J W Hills 4 8-9 t R Hills 12/1 75 55 77

9 ½ Nawamees (IRE) (10) G L Moore 7 9-5 b G Baker 33/1 85 64 86

10 nk Sky Quest (IRE) (2) W R Swinburn 7 9-3 tp L Dettori 9/1 83 62 84

11 ½ Mustajed (14) B R Millman 4 9-3 A Munro 11/2 83 61 83

12 1 Saltango (GER) (11) A M Hales 6 8-4 N Chalmers(3) 50/1 73 49 71

13 14 Azizam (12) P W Chapple-Hyam 3 8-6 M Fenton 33/1 79 30 55

14 4 Kintbury Cross (7) P D Cundell 3 8-4 J F Egan 12/1 77 21 47

14 ran TIME 2m 18.22s (fast by 0.38s) TOTAL SP 119%

1st OWNER: Woodcote Stud Ltd BRED: Woodcote Stud Ltd TRAINER: Mrs A J Perrett

2nd OWNER: Duke Of Devonshire

3rd OWNER: G C Stevens

TOTE WIN £3.90 PL £1.70, £3.00, £4.30; Ex £45.90; CSF £47.36; TRICAST £435.34Place 6 £59.92, Place 5 £9.35

PLACEPOT £136.30 to a £1 stake. Pool: £64,749.30. 346.75 winning tickets.

QUADPOT £8.10 to a £1 stake. Pool: £5,248.30. 477.00 winning tickets.

ANALYSIS: Very few threatened to take a hand in this, confirming that it was not a strongly contested race for its status and plenty of these would have preferred easier ground.

Two of the five three-year-olds proved too good for their elders. WHIRLY BIRD,coming off a 114-day absence, continued her upward spiral, defying a 10lb rise for her first win on turf back in May after three all-weather successes. She is unlikely to pay heavily for this narrow defeat of Spear Thistle but connections are looking to boost her paddock value with some black type, possibly in an upcoming Yarmouth race.

Spear Thistle set a strong enough pace over this slightly longer trip and battled back gamely when headed to finish nicely clear of the rest, suggesting these tactics suit.

The two finishers were Soulacroix and Countrywide Luck. The former got stuck out wide in the pack throughout and did not initially pick up for pressure, looking uneasy on the ground having done his winning on easier ground. With others crying enough, he flashed home midtrack, hinting at an annual autumnal win again this season.

Flotta remains plenty high enough in the handicap but again showed he is in fine form, chasing the pace and keeping on.