RACING : THE SATURDAY STATS

Favourites: 15 out of 34 won producing a profit to a level pounds 1 stake of pounds 2.77.

Winners at longest price: Even Blue and Another Excuse, both at Uttoxeter, started at odds of 14-1.

Winner at longest Tote odds: Even Blue paid 18.4-1 with the Tote.

Shortest-priced loser: Heathyards Rock, at Wolverhampton, finished second at 11-8.

Worst Tote odds: Kadari, at Uttoxeter, returned an SP of 6-1 and Tote odds of 4.3-1.

Tote Placepots: Hereford (five placed favourites) pounds 24.60; Lingfield (six placed favs) pounds 13.50; Newcastle (five placed favs) pounds 62.80; Uttoxeter (one placed fav) pounds 1,309.50; Wolverhampton (four placed favs) pounds 261.60.

Jackpot: Not won at Uttoxeter; pounds 9,560.23 carried forward to Newcastle today.

Jockey: Kenny Whelan, the amateur whose persistence enabled Stop The Waller to win Tuesday's Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham. Outpaced when Encore Un Peu kicked at least 15 lengths clear, the Irish jockey refused to give up, held on tight when his mount clouted the last and collared the runner-up strides from the line.

Trainer: Willie Mullins, who had responsibility for the Irish banker of the meeting, Wither Or Which, who duly lived up to his trainer/rider's billing as "the best horse I've ever sat on" when winning the bumper on unsuitably fast ground.

Horse: Imperial Call. One Man may have been out of sorts, but it was a great achievement to keep going up the hill after racing so prominently in such a tough race.