Snoopy Win With Kauto Out Of Loop

Nov 23 2008 By Robin Weir

IN ONE of the biggest shocks of the season Kauto Star blundered out of the Betfair Chase as he launched his challenge at the last fence.

Sam Thomas on the former Gold Cup hero, a 2-5 shot, had no chance of staying aboard hard though he tried.

The Haydock feature went to Snoopy Loopy, 33-1 outsider in the six-horse £126,666 race.

Seamus Durack produced Snoopy with a devastating run to collar the long-time leader Tamarinbleu (25-1) late on.

Bookie reaction was swift with Paddy Power shortening Denman to even money from 6-4 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and pushing stable companion Kau to out to 4-1 from 11-4.

Winning trainer Peter Bowen described Snoopy's victory as the biggest of his career.

And delighted jock Durack added: "Snoopy has always been a battler."

Kauto's trainer Paul Nicholls was not too despondent and said: "The King George is five weeks away and it should be a different story there."

There's a new favourite for the Champion Hurdle after Binocular set out on the road to Cheltenham with a bloodless success in the Betfair Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson's four-year-old has not been out of the first two in six starts.

He only lost out to another JP McManus-owned runner, Captain Cee Bee, at last year's Festival in the Supreme Novices'.

Binocular (1-9) found it all too easy on his seasonal debut against four inferior rivals and barely broke sweat under TonyMcCoy.

AP said: "This fellow has a lot of speed and pace."

Stan James make Binocular 7-2 jolly for the Champion Hurdle in March, a race McManus won three times with mighty Istabraq.