Historg upheld family honour and landed a gamble in the process when galloping through the mud at Newcastle yesterday.

Ferdy Murphy's charge was slashed to 4-1 at the start of the Newcastle Novices' Hurdle after being available at 10-1.

Historg was clearly travelling best as the runners came into the straight and was sent clear after the last by Adrian Maguire to defeat Case of Poteen by 12 lengths.

''This horse came to me in September after being trained by Francois Doumen and he's taken time to come to himself,'' said Murphy.

''He has a great pedigree as he's a half-brother to Fadalko and in the last couple of weeks he's really started to come on.

''He's a great prospect as he's built to be an out-and-out chaser.''

Sireric made a mockery of the work of the handicapper when landing the Stephen Easten Handicap Chase at odds of 25-1.

The 11-year-old was 15lb out of the weights yet stayed on strongly from the final fence to defeat Scotton Green.

Sireric was ridden by Kenny Johnson and is trained by the jockey's father Robert at Newburn, less than ten miles from the centre of Newcastle.

''He had a year off before he came to us and it's taken time for him to get it together. He will appreciate an even longer distance and I'm not sure what we will do now,'' said Johnson.

Johnson and his son had earlier been quizzed by the stewards over the running of Highlevelbrownale in Historg's race.

Kenny Johnson told the stewards that his instructions were to settle the horse but he was gasping for air down the back straight and he held him together.

The trainer added that Highlevelbrownale would have been a different prospect on better ground.

The explanations were noted by the stewards and they took no further action.

Peter Niven is now just four short of 1,000 career winners after guiding A Piece of Cake to victory in the Citex Bucknall Austin Novices' Chase.

Mary Reveley's charge went on at the second last and had little trouble seeing off Ten Mile Hill to justify odds of 8-11.

Reveley clinched a double as Bramble Fair, the 5-2 favourite, easily landed the Manor Road Nursery Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Tony Ross.

Cherry Tart showed her appreciation of the testing ground when coming home 19 lengths clear of Aelred in the Racecourse Video Services Novices' Handicap Chase.

The mare, trained by Richard Ford, had twice failed to complete in her last three outings but jumped much better this time.

''The owners have had to be patient and they deserve this,'' said Ford's wife Carrie. ''She was travelling well at Folkestone last time when I parted company with her.''

Young amateur Mark Nicholls gave further impetus to his plans to turn professional when registering his fifth success with an assured performance on Whatadeal in the Brandling Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

l Rider Carl Lowther hopes to escape serious punishment at a Jockey Club disciplinary committee inquiry today after a urine sample he gave in July last year tested over the limit for alcohol.

Lowther and another jockey were required to give samples after racing at Newcastle on July 31.

But they were told that the tests were not for alcohol and Lowther drank two pints of beer to help him give the sample