SOUTHWELL (A.W) (18 Dec 2005)

Standard To Slow

1:00 Betdirect Only A Week Til Xmas Banded Stakes (7) (3yo+,0-45)

[off 1:00] £917.15, £917.15, £209.16 5f

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Largs (3) J Balding 5 8-12 b R Winston 9/4F 46 — —

1 dht Lizzie Rocket (1) J O´Reilly 5 8-6 2v J D O´Reilly(7) 6/1 40 — —

3 nk Secret Vision (USA) (4) R M H Cowell 4 8-12 p P Hanagan 3/1 46 — —

4 nk Ardkeel Lass (IRE) (5) P D Evans 4 8-10 J Brennan(7) 7/2 45 — —

5 2½ Cark (2) J Balding 7 8-11 p A Culhane 11/2 45 — —

6 2 Flying Dancer (7) R A Harris 3 8-6 T Dean(7) 20/1 47 — —

7 3 Piccleyes (6) M J Polglase 4 8-4 b M Nem(7) 16/1 45 — —

8 5 Percy Douglas (8) Miss A Stokell 5 8-6 2 Ann Stokell(7) 25/1 45 — —

8 ran TIME 1m 3.03s (slow by 5.03s) TOTAL SP 122%

1st OWNER: Hollinbridge Racing BRED: Mrs Gillian A R Jones And John Balding TRAINER: J Balding

1st OWNER: Mrs K Morrell BRED: Keith Morrell TRAINER: J O'Reilly

3rd OWNER: Allen Rix

TOTE , £1.70Win: Largs £1.50, Lizzie Rocket £3.60. Pl: L £1.10; LR £2.20. Excata: L/LR £8.80; LR/L £6.50. CSF: L/LR £8.95; LR/L £10.72

ANALYSIS: A competitive little affair. LIZZIE ROCKET, who had been failing to get home over longer distances earlier in the year, ran a good second to Secret Vision when dropped to this trip here last time. She was slowly into her stride on that occasion, but broke better this time and, under a vigorous ride, just did enough to gain a share of the spoils with LARGS.

As ever, Largs struggled to go the pace but finished well and, on ground made slow by the working of the track to get the frost out of it, she was driven up to join Lizzie Rocket on the line.

Secret Vision, well-beaten from a poor draw at Lingfield four days earlier, ran creditably back on her favourite surface, but did not help her chances by edging left in the closing stages.