HIGH FIVE COULD BE IN THE OFFING

Jeremy Grayson has been out and about in the hunt for jumps progressives

- Jeremy Grayson

WINDSOR, December 15 (Good to soft, soft in places) 2m33yds (+80yds) 0-130 Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (class 3)

The second race (and fi rst chase) of the fi rst jumps meeting back at Windsor since December 16, 2005, and although the fi gure of eight is no more, the new confi guration still proved just that little bit on the sharp side for THE FAMOUS FIVE, outpaced between the fi nal two fences but keeping on again to run the winner to 3l. No more bred for chasing than he was hurdling, with Jim Best’s craftily campaigned Planetoid being the only immediate family member with even dual purpose winning prowess, Venetia Williams’ Camelot gelding belied his pedigree in so far as he compiled a mostly tidy fi rst round over fences. Versatile enough track-wise to have scored his hurdles successes over the very different lines at Leicester and Bangor (the latter in March very quickly boosted by runner-up El Jefe at Aintree), he could be confi dently sent almost anywhere in pursuit of the right race, 0-120 races additionally just about likely to still be open to him following this. As with so many Kings Caple inmates, the slower the ground evidently the better.

3m53yds (+80yds) 0-130 Handicap Chase (class 3)