Rooster Booster Favourite For The Tote Gold Trophy

The Tote yesterday opened betting on the #125,000 Tote Gold Trophy, making champion hurdler Rooster Booster the 11/2 favourite for the Europe´s richest handicap hurdle, run on Saturday, February 14, at Newbury.

Rooster Booster has been allocated top-weight of 11st 12lb in the weights which are issued today (full weights see below).

Andy Clifton, the Tote´s public relations director, said today: 'Since our first sponsorship of the Tote Gold Trophy in 1987, there have been some outstanding horses taking part in the race, but this year we look set to top them all with reigning champion hurdler and current ante-post favourite for this year´s Cheltenham race, Rooster Booster, set to run under top-weight.

'His trainer Philip Hobbs will be hoping it´s third time lucky as Rooster Booster has run in the race twice before, finishing runner up in both 2002 and 2001 (when he carried just 10st 3lb).

'Europe´s richest handicap hurdle a month or so before the Cheltenham Festival might not appear to be the best trial for Smurfit Champion Hurdle aspirants, but year after year some of the best hurdlers in Britain and Ireland line up for the Tote Gold Trophy.

'Make A Stand completed the double back in 1997 and in 1994 Large Action and Oh So Risky finished second and third at Cheltenham behind Flakey Dove having been separated by just a short head in first and second at Newbury.

'2002 winner Copeland is entered again and could well be lining up for a remarkable fifth consecutive attempt at the race.

'The entry list comprises 68 of the best hurdlers around, including 11 from race specialist Martin Pipe, six from Nicky Henderson and 5 from Paul Nicholls, as well as six from Ireland and 1 from France.

'There is a record #125,000 up for grabs in prize money this year, five times that on offer for the first Tote Gold Trophy and, as always, it will be one of the best and most keenly contested hurdle races of the entire season.'

TOTE GOLD TROPHY BETTING OPENS

#125,000, 2 Miles 110yds Furlong H´cap Hurdle, Newbury, February 14th.

11/2 Rooster Booster,

8/1 Hasty Prince, Specular,

10/1 Our Vic, Sporazene, 12 Limerick Boy, Perouse, Rhinestone Cowboy, Rigmarole

16/1 Flame Creek, Risky Reef, Saintsaire, Self Defense, Thesis, Tom Paddington, Well Chief

20/1 Benbyas, Demi Beau, Foreman, Geos, Sud Bleu

25/1 Bold Bishop, Contraband, Copeland, Georges Girl, In Contrast, Khetaam, Latalomne, Monkerhostin, Mughas, Never, Overstrand, Quazar, Spectroscope, Westender

33/1 Altay, Balapour, Dancing Bay, Downpour, Greenhope, Kadount, Le Duc, Lilium De Cotte, Mambo, Man O´Mystery, Mr Cool, Nas Na Riogh, Visibility

40/1 Gone Far, Hawadeth, Kirat, Newhall, Upgrade

50/1 Brooklyn´s Gold, Gin Palace, Green Belt Flyer, Idaho D´ox, Liberty Seeker, Through The Rye

66/1 Bound, Colourful Life, Goldbrook, Italian Counsel, Lewis Island, Nawamees, Shayadi, The Last Cast

NQ CHIVALRY

#125,000 Tote God Trophy, Newbury, 2m 110yds, February 14, 2004

112-521 Rooster Booster 10 11 12 Mr Terry Warner P. J. Hobbs

1113-16 Rhinestone Cowboy (Ire) 8 11 11 Mrs John Magnier Jonjo O´neill

P-11143 Flame Creek (Ire) 8 11 4 Martin Wesson Partners Noel T. Chance

121411 Rigmarole 6 11 4 Mr & Mrs Mark Woodhouse P. F. Nicholls

22/323-P Westender (Fr) 8 10 13 Mr Matt Archer & Miss Jean Broadhurst M.C. Pipe

104-122 Quazar (Ire) 6 10 12 Mr C. D. Carr Jonjo O´neill

331-123 Sporazene (Ire) 5 10 11 Ged Mason & David Jackson P. F. Nicholls

B1-1332 Hasty Prince 6 10 11 F. F. Racing Services Partnership Iii Jonjo O´neill

3461-3p In Contrast (Ire) 8 10 10 Mr Tony Staple P. J. Hobbs

24p-124 Self Defense 7 10 9 Fraser Miller Racing Miss E. C. Lavelle

12405-2 Geos (Fr) 9 10 9 Thurloe Finsbury N. J. Henderson

161-2p1 Limerick Boy (Ger) 6 10 8 Favourites Racing Miss Venetia Williams

11-1123 Specular (Aus) 8 10 7 Mr John P. Mcmanus Jonjo O´neill

0f62-34 Copeland 9 10 7 Professor D.B.A.Silk & Mrs Heather Silk M. C. Pipe

141-1f4 Foreman (Ger) 6 10 6 Mr John P. Mcmanus T. Doumen

00-012p Mr Cool 10 10 5 Mr N. G. Mills M. C. Pipe

111-2 Our Vic (Ire) 6 10 5 Mr D. A. Johnson M. C. Pipe

250-501 Benbyas 7 10 4 C. H. Stephenson & Partners D. Carroll

211122 Perouse 6 10 3 J. Dickson & S. Mcvie P. F. Nicholls

50-1342 Monkerhostin (Fr) 7 10 2 Mr M. G. St Quinton P. J. Hobbs

56-0113 Mughas (Ire) 5 10 2 B. Winfield, C. Fenton & A. Longman A. King

1123-15 Well Chief (Ger) 5 10 1 Mr D. A. Johnson M. C. Pipe

3211-44 Risky Reef 7 10 0 Ergon Syndicate Andrew Lee

111331 Thesis (Ire) 6 9 13 The 1961 Partnership Miss Venetia Williams

4112-20 Spectroscope (Ire) 5 9 13 Mrs G. Smith Jonjo O´neill

15001-0 Never (Fr) 7 9 12 Sir Peter O´sullevan Jonjo O´neill

5p3-220 Upgrade 10 9 11 Mr Matt Archer & Miss Jean Broadhurst M. C. Pipe

61-14f2 Le Duc (Fr) 5 9 10 Mrs J. Stewart P. F. Nicholls

1350-33 Saintsaire (Fr) 5 9 9 Mr Anthony Speelman N. J. Henderson

4355-22 Sud Bleu (Fr) 6 9 9 Barry Marshall & Terry Warner P. F. Nicholls

111102 Overstrand (Ire) 5 9 8 F. F. Racing Services Partnership Iv Mrs M. Reveley

42534p Latalomne (Usa) 10 9 7 Alderclad Roofing/Mr K. M. Everitt M. C. Pipe

3111 Contraband 6 9 6 Mr D. A. Johnson M. C. Pipe

144-51 Demi Beau 6 9 5 Mr Hugh Villiers C. J. Mann

145-1p5 Visibility (Fr) 5 9 5 Mr Jim Weeden M. C. Pipe

33p-F00 Through The Rye 8 9 5 Nice To See You Euro-Racing G. A. Swinbank

2414-1p Lilium De Cotte (Fr) 5 9 5 Mr John P. Mcmanus N. J. Henderson

Bf20f-0 Balapour (Ire) 6 9 5 Miss Rita Shah Patrick O. Brady

112////-1f Tom Paddington 9 9 5 M.S.Wilson Mrs Wilson (Camp Farm Racing) H. Morrison

212-Rp Man O´mystery (Usa) 7 9 5 Mr B. E. Nielsen P. R. Webber

314-011 Khetaam (Ire) 6 9 5 Mrs J. Hurley N. Meade

1410-16 Dancing Bay 7 9 4 Elite Racing Club N. J. Henderson

1110 Kadount (Fr) 6 9 4 Elite Racing Club A. King

04-2121 Bold Bishop (Ire) 7 9 4 Mrs G. Smith Jonjo O´neill

4114-23 Georges Girl (Ire) 6 9 3 Mr Glenn Martin F. Flood

212-160 Altay 7 9 3 Mr R. M. Jeffs & Mr J. Potter R. A. Fahey

110/0-13 Greenhope (Ire) 6 9 3 Lynn Wilson Giles Wilson Martin Landau N. J. Henderson

000-F13 Bound 6 9 1 Dingley Dell Racing Ltd Mrs L. Wadham

0/103-1 Downpour (Usa) 6 9 1 Favourites Racing Ian Williams

3-00256 Brooklyn´s Gold (Usa) 9 9 0 Mr Terry Warner Ian Williams

211f-03 Nas Na Riogh (Ire) 5 8 13 Brian Twojohns Partnership N. J. Henderson

0b0-025 Hawadeth 9 8 13 Mr Nick Viney V. R. A. Dartnall

F4260-4 Newhall (Ire) 6 8 13 Mrs H. Mcparland F. Flood

134/5-F0 Gone Far (Usa) 7 8 13 Mr Matt Archer & Miss Jean Broadhurst M. C. Pipe

123516 Green Belt Flyer (Ire) 6 8 12 Green Belters Syndicate Mrs J. Harrington

2-31131 Goldbrook 6 8 11 Exors Of The Late S. J. Norman R. J. Hodges

145/- Kirat 6 8 11 Brighthelm Racing G. L. Moore

2/26511- Gin Palace (Ire) 6 8 10 Mrs Patricia Gilmore G. L. Moore

11p006 Idaho D´ox (Fr) 8 8 10 The Dionysius Partnership M. C. Pipe

53111-0 The Last Cast 5 8 9 Mr D. P. Barrie H. Morrison

2606-00 Colourful Life (Ire) 8 8 9 Andy Peake & David Jackson Mrs M. Reveley

U16111 Italian Counsel (Ire) 7 8 9 Mr B. V. Ward & Mr C. Feeney L. A. Dace

543-162 Nawamees (Ire) 6 8 8 Mr Paul Stamp G. L. Moore

320-0u0 Lewis Island (Ire) 5 8 8 Mr & Mrs Peter Orton N. A. Twiston-Davies

110 Shayadi (Ire) 7 8 7 Mr Ashley Carr B. Ellison

2/22/-F1 Mambo (Ire) 6 8 7 Mrs Belinda Harvey N. J. Henderson

116 Liberty Seeker (Fr) 5 8 5 Mr M. Sawers G. A. Swinbank

11 Chivalry 5 Andrea & Graham Wylie J. Howard Johnson