Manchester Evening News from Manchester, Greater Manchester, England • 74

er Page 30 PF Manchester Evening News THE WORLD TONIGHT Princes go skiing on death mountain PRINCE Charles took his sons skiing today on the Swiss mountain which claimed the life of his friend and nearly his own. From the cable car above Klosters, William, 11, and Harry, nine, could clearly see the spot, 300 yards away, where an avalanche struck the royal skiing party in 1988. It narrowly missed Charles but killed Major Hugh Lindsay, 34, and seriously injured Mrs Patti Palmer-Tomkinson. Britons freed THIRTEEN Britons held by armed locals in Somalia have been released unhurt, their employers Rimfire International said. Op shocker GRANDAD Fred Latchford, 63, of Orama Avenue, Salford, had a vital operation cancelled at Salford's Hope Hospital after he had been sedated.

Blackmall charge TWO businessmen were today remanded in custody until February 25 accused of a making £12m blackmail threats to Sainsburys, Safeway and Tesco. It is alleged they threatened to contaminate products with lethal injections of viruses and poisons. Firebomb blitz TERRORISTS blitzed London with firebombs today, starting fires in seven stores. An eighth incendiary device failed to go off. Scotland Yard said the attacks bore all the hallmarks of the IRA.

dent Clinton after stalking his jogging route in Washington. Reynolds VOW IRISH premier Albert Reynolds, in London for talks, today insisted IRA violence will not deter his belief in the Northern Ireland peace quest. Raid victim dies AN 80-YEAR-OLD neighbour of murdered shopkeeper Barry Parekh has also died after a vicious robbery. Joe Slater, of Old Lane, Higher Openshaw, was attacked by two youths. Mr Parekh's widow Ramila has made a journey of sorrow from Manchester to scatter her husband's ashes in a holy river in India.

Battle of the buses BUS wars in Manchester escalated today when the Manchester arm of Liverpool's Merseybus MTL Manchester Ltd, which opened a depot in Miles Platting last month announced an expansion of services and promised an eventual 100 more jobs. Brits open fire BRITISH UN troops fired over the heads of villagers who attacked and looted a French aid convoy in Opra, near the Bosnian town of Gornji Vakuf, it was disclosed today. ANC workers slain FOURTEEN people, mostly under 18, were killed today in an attack on a house where African National Congress supporters were sleeping in southern Natal, police said. Clinton jog threat A FLORIDA man arrested at a psychiatric facility in Orlando has been charged with threatening to kill Presi- RACING Clever Lad! THE antepost betting on next month's Guinness Arkle Chase at Cheltenham looks sure to be in for a shake up. It follows Country Lad's shock 14-1 win in the Michael Seely Nottinghamshire Novices Chase here today.

The six-year-old put in a strong finish from the last to beat Front Line by a length, with Current Express who had been Arkle favourite, three and a half lengths back in third place. Sarah Williams, who trains the winner in Devon, said: "We wanted to run Country Lad here to see if he was good enough to take to Cheltenham and we now know he definitely is." Current Express made a mistake at the third last, almost went sideways through the final two fences, and his trainer Nick 3 10 Country Lad (S McNeill). 14-1 2 Front Line (N Williamson) 33-1 Current Express (M A 6-5 fav 7 ran. Tote win £3.60, df csf £221.59. 3'45 PETER CHEESEBOROUGH THE Do PINK NOTTINGHAM I 35 Dark Den (T Kent) 9-4 fav 2 Prime of Lie (S McNeill) 7-1 The Premier Expres (A 9-2 9 ran.

Tote win £1.30, £1.80. df caf £17.11. NR: Call My Guest 05 1 Traveling Light (Mr Swiers) 8-1 2 Very Evident (J Callaghan) 12-1 3 Lacurva (P 11-2 Mac Rambler (S 25-1 16 ran. 7-4 fav Scarf. Tote win £2.70, £2.70, £1.70, df csf tricast £536.32.

35 Miners Melody (Mr Greenall) 8-13 fav' 2 Spartan Ranger (Mr Bonner) 7-1 3 Up The Ladder (Miss Thomas) 14-1 9 ran. Tote win £1.10, £1.40, df csf £5.69. Racing diary MONDAY: Fontwell, Newcastle. Flat Wolverhampton (AWT). TUESDAY: Hunting.

don, Sedgefield. Flat Lingfield (AWT). WEDNESDAY: Doncaster, Folkestone, Warwick, Southwell (AWT). THURSDAY: Wincanton, Catterick, Lingfield (AWT). FRIDAY: Haydock, Kempton, Towcester.

Flat Southwell (AWT). SATURDAY: Haydock, Kempton, Market Rasen. Flat Lingfield (AWT). Highbrook (A Maguire) 15-8 Strath Royal (M Brennan) 3-1 3 Coulton (M 11-8 fav 4 ran. Tote win.

df csf £6.92. NR: Northern Saddler. 4 15 Astings (M Dwyer) 11-8 fav 2 Young Miner (G 9-2 3 Irish Bay (J Railton) 6-1 7 ran. Tote win £2.10, df csf £7.78. Placepot £592.30.

LINGFIELD 20 Arkady (L Dettori) Evens fav Nineacres 20-1 Monsieur Pelong 9-2 ran. Tote win £1.10, di cst £17.65. 2 50 Soviet Express (T Quinn) 5-1 2 Gallery Artist 7-2 itfav 3 Respectable Jones 7-2 jtfav 12 ran. Tote win £2.20, £1.80, df csf trio £28.60. 3 20 Surprise Guest (J Weaver) 8-1 2 Herr Trigger 11-2 Just Harry 6-1 7 ran.

9-4 fav Success Story. Tote win £3.70, df cst £44.59. 3 50 Old Hook (L 14-1 2 Dome Patrol 7-2 3 Napoleon Star 7-1 7 ran. 7-4 fav Tswana. Tote win £3.50, df csf £55.17.

20 Slight Risk (Paul Eddery) 2-1 fav 2 Caspian Beluga (J Weaver) 4-1 3 Exhibit Air (D 11-4 5 ran. Tote win £2.00, df csf £10.09. Tomorrow's selections JOHN FORBES ROY DAVID FONTWELL FONTWELL 2 0: So Discreet 2 0: So Discreet 230: Second Call 230: In The Navy 3 0: Spinning 3 0: Spinning 330: General Merchant 330: General Merchant 4 0: City Kid 4 0: Gold Cap 4 30: Call Home 430: Call Home NEWCASTLE NEWCASTLE 2 10: Aragon Ayr 2 10: Aragon Ayr 240: Road By TheRiver 240: Road By The River 3 10: Boy 3 10: Tyrant 340: Good For A Laugh 340: Just Frankie 4 10: Daring Past (nb) 4 10: Daring Past 4 40: River Pearl 440: Morgans Harbour 5 10: Noddle 5 10: Noddle (nb) WOLVERHAMPTON WOLVERHAMPTON 150: Royal Print 1 50: Carrolls Marc 220: Arc Lamp 2 20: Slades Hill 2 50: Domovoy 2 50: Noel 320: Charlies Dream 3 20: Espla 350: Tempering 3 50: Warren Street 4 20: Saddlehome 4 20: Saddlehome Cab will be back JOHN FORBES at Nottingham Henderson was at a loss to explain it saying: "He just lost his jumping altogether." Native Mission, another much vaunted Arkle candidate, made a mess of the first two fences and never really settled after that. Newmarket trainer Julie Cecil opened her account for the season when Dark Den ran out an extremely easy winner of the St Anns Juvenile Novice Hurdle. The four-year-old opened up at 2-1 in the betting but drifted out to 3-1 before some nice wagers brought him quickly back to his starting price of 9-4.

The official distance between him and runner-up Prime of Life was 10 lengths but that was not really a true reflection of his superiority for he had been slowed down to a walk by the time he crossed the line. Mrs Cecil may be better known as a trainer of flat horses but she had five winners over obstacles last season and her assistant Willie Jardine joked: "Dark Den is entered for the Glenlivet Hurdle at Aintree although we will play it very much by ear at the moment." 50 Spread Your Wings 3-1 No Pain No Gain (E 8-11 fav 3 Fortunes Course (J Kavanagh) 33-1 10 ran. Tote win £1.40, £1.10, df csf £5.62. NR: Ramallah. 2 25 1 New Ghost (Mr 6-1 2 Mr Matt (Peter Hobbs) 6-4 fav 3 Timur's King (M Perrett) 25-1 11 ran.

Tote win £1.80, £1.70, df cst trio £121.00. NR: Hermes Harvest. 2 55 1 My Ballyboy (S Smith 2-1 2 Hostile Witness (M Richards) 11-10 fav 3 Rich Lie (Peter 7-1 7 ran. Tote win £1.80, df csf £4.76. 3 25 Black Humour (G 2-1 2 Zeta's Lad (R Supple) 1-2 fav 3 Gold Options (J Osborne) 8-1 3 ran.

Tote win £2.40: df csf £3.35. NR: Toby Tobias. 3 55 Sallors Luck (E Murphy) Evens fav Nos Na Gaolthe (R Marley) 5-1 3 Thais The Life (T Jenks) 3-1 4 ran. Tote win df csf £5.68. NR: Sartorius.

WINDSOR Halen good as new NEW HALEN, responsible for one of the biggest 1 shocks in recent Cheltenham Festival history when the 66-1 winner of the Mildmay Of Flete four years ago, showed there is still fire in the belly at Fakenham. Fittingly, in an event celebrating a course veteran, the 13-year-old showed a clean pair of heels to his juniors in the Prince Carl-ton Handicap Chase. New Halen charged into the lead with a circuit left and dismissed topweight Sandybraes by a distance to take his earnings past £88,000. Trainer Paul James said: "This is his type of track, always being on the turn, and although he is not the force he once was, he has at least been dropped in the weights. They also played into his hands setting a fast A Festival return is now on the cards for either the Kim Muir or the Ritz but that plan will be abandoned if he is too far out of the handicap.

Recovered Travelling Light came back to form with a vengeance in the Colwick Park Novices Handicap Hurdle, beating Very Evident by a comfortable eight lengths. Jockey Stephen Swiers sent Travelling Light to the front at the third last and it was immediately evident that the race was his. Recovered The eight-year-old was enjoying his first victory since landing the 1990 Chester Cup and Jack Ramsden, husband of trainer Lynda, explained: "He has been plagued by leg trouble since we took him to Italy for a race about four years But Ramsden is far from happy with the flat handicapper's handiwork, bemoaning: "Travelling Light is still rated higher now on the flat than he was when he won the Chester Cup. Unless something changes it looks as though his future is in long distance hurdling providing we can keep him sound." It was a busy day for owner jockey Johnny Greenall, starting with a fall in a point-to-point at Heythrop, followed by a dash here to partner Miners Melody to an easy win in the BBC Radio Nottingham Novices Chase. Peter Cheesborough, trainer of the winner, reported that his stable star Blazing Walker was still fine following his comeback victory at Wetherby earlier this month and said the horse would go straight to next month's Cheltenham Festival but the choice between the Gold Cup and the Queen Mother Champion Chase has still to be made.

Highbrook came home a seven-length winner of the Roseland Group City Trial Hurdle, beating Strath Royal with the favourite Coulton a well beaten third. Mark Tompkins, who trains Highbrook said: "She is entered at Haydock next Friday and she is also in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, but we'll have to see what the handicapper does before we make any plans." RaceCall 0891-700-909 service Classified results 0891-700-910 Mainline commentary service COURSE LINE COMMENTARY SERVICE 0891-700-901 Leicester 0891-700-902 Wolverhampton 0891-700-903 Plumpton All calls charged 36p per minute (cheap rate) and 48p per minute at all other times (Including VAT). By Rey David EVEN the best laid plans wrong and for Cab On Target what should have been an eagerleyawaited appearance in the Gold Cup next month's Festival now looks like being a run in the Stayers Hurdle. A crisis of confidence seems to have smitten the Mary Reveley-trained eightyear-old. An impressive novice chaser, beaten only once in six outings and that due to a subsequently discovered throat infection the son of leading National Hunt sire Strong Gale had all the credentials of a future champion.

Doubts began to surface, however, after the horse's first run at Wetherby in October when Cab on Target appeared to run creditably when second to Barton Bank but never raced with his usual zest and would have been third but for Jodami's fall four out. Shadow Jodami then gave Cab On Target 15lbs and a beating of just under a length in the Edward Hanmer Chase at Haydock. Though not jumping as solidly as the Gold Cup winner, he nevertheless jumped soundly. But it was a different story at Sandown next time when he was comprehensively beaten again by Barton Bank in that twohorse affair. He seemed a pale shadow of his former self.

He was then off the track for two months during the Reveley string's virus lean spell but made his 1994 appearance at Wetherby two weeks ago over hurdles. Useful He ran a decent race, giving almost two stone to the useful Northants beaten two and a half lengths and jumping stickily at the second last. Now Cab On Target is to stay with the minor obstacles, making an appearance at Kempton next Saturday in the Rendlesham Hurdle, his final prep race for the Stayers Hurdle. It seems a shame to have been denied the opportunity to take his place in the Gold Cup but it is hoped he will bounce back again next year..