Gunnell was a close second in the 400m B final recording 52
Gunnell was a close second in the 400m B final, recording 52.30sec - a time which would have won her the AAA indoor title the previous weekend. Christie, who is due to fly to Australia today for a month's training break, demonstrated that he is still in formidable form. He was second on a photo-finish in the 60m in a time of 6.56, behind Michael Green of the United States despite his finishing lunge after trailing from the start.Christie's time was 0.10sec faster than he had produced in winning an event at Stanger, Norway, the previous weekend. One hour later, Christie returned to the track for the 200m which he won in 20.70. Not bad going for a 36-year-old who declares his main interest this season to be coaching.For El Guerrouj, the 22-year-old whose career has been shaped by his illustrious compatriot Said Aouita, yesterday represented a small consolation after the deep disappointment of the Olympics, where a fall in the final prevented him from contesting the 1500m gold which went to Noureddine Morceli of Algeria.But El Guerrouj's new record of 3min 31.18sec, which took nearly three seconds off Morceli's six-year-old mark, served notice of his intent to end the Algerian's long reign as king of the middle distance. Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie, finished second in 3:32.39, well inside the old record.In the 60m hurdles Colin Jackson maintained his winning start to the season with victory in 7.47..
Structural engineers will probably have to check out the stands here this morning. Danoli, the most popular figure in Ireland after the visitor who kisses the airport tarmac, yesterday captured the Hennessy Gold Cup to a reception that would have disturbed the seismologists. He is now favourite in one book to send tremors through the Cotswold countryside next month in the Gold Cup. Danoli has everything that a hackneyed, soft-edge racing romance story could provide. He is good, and more than that he is courageous, having recovered from a broken leg, but, perhaps greatest of all, he is prepared by Tom Foley. This is a trainer of exquisite humility in a sport in which there are some Branson balloon-heads; a man devoted to normality and his horse. Foley had reported his gelding in peak condition after a final piece of work on Jim Bolger's all-weather gallop, but even he must have been daunted by the sight that greeted him in the parade ring Danoli looked like a runt in this company.
Belmont King and Jodami, in particular, sported brutish physiques, and if they were picadors' mounts at the corrida you would not need a matador to frighten the bull.Danoli was dwarfed and he also carried with him a record of fallible fencing. Like an orienteer coming across a nudist colony, his gaze does not always follow the path it should. "I've always said he's a reasonable jumper, but he's easily distracted and he does take his eye off at times," Foley said. "He looks up in the stands to see if he can see any new faces."The trainer was consequently settled by the thought that the first phalanx of fences would be down the far side, away from the baying multitude. By the time Danoli reached the enclosures he had pulled himself to the front and many of the spectators were in danger of uprooting their tongues from their moorings.On the second circuit, the tempo first accounted for Merry Gale and then The Grey Monk, who fell six out before he could provide any firm evidence of his ability in this company. Imperial Call looked menacing until lack of fitness and the prospect of trying to match Danoli for tenacity got the better of him, and it was only the old warhorse Jodami who was within reach in the straight.
For a moment the old tank looked as if he might rumble past, but Danoli hung on grimly to win by a length and a half while Jodami's cheap reward was to collect a career-threatening injury to his off-fore in the closing stages.When horse and horde returned, a grey twist of Foley's hair was all that was visible above the throng. When he came into view his tie was hanging pleasingly at about 5pm level. "He showed today that when he gets a clear run at his fences he's well capable of jumping them," the trainer said. "He's still a novice and he was making some mistakes in there, but so were the others and they're experienced horses.
Maybe it's nice to make mistakes today so that when we get to Cheltenham we can get everything right."Before the Festival, though, there is the rather more prosaic matter of the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park a week on Saturday. Prosaic that is that except for the fact that Danoli may be joined by his arch foe Dorans Pride, whose fifth successive fencing victory in yesterday's Scalp Novices' Chase propelled him too up the Gold Cup ante-post list, and Imperial Call.Last season's Gold Cup winner was by no means at his best yesterday and it would take a brave man to disregard his prospect of playing the bad baron in Gloucestershire's fairytale. "It was a very hectic gallop and he got tired," Conor O'Dwyer, his jockey, reported. "But I was happy with him in the circumstances because he's missed so much racing and so much work."For Jodami it is hard to see the next outing. His trainer, Peter Beaumont, has only recently returned from a holiday in South Africa and on Saturday viewed a video of the gelding's victorious last outing at Haydock, where he squeezed through an aperture even Swampy would not attempt.