Kegans Choice produced a real smash and grab performance to land the 74th running of the prestigious Trafalgar Cup at a packed Oxford Stad- ium.

Many pundits thought that Kegans, trained by Hove maestro Brian Clemenson, had a little more left in the tank after the qualifiers of the Mike Alan Bookmakers-sponsored competition, and so it proved.

Saturday's showdown lost a little of its excitement when All Gold, a live candidate in the red jacket was withdrawn off colour, leaving five runners to go to the traps.

From the off, there looked to be only one winner as Scottish raider Linnburn made light of his long journey to go off like a scalded cat.

However, the 10-11 shot failed to make the most of his brilliant early burst and he was cut down near the line by Kegans Choice and Jim Morgan's Twiglish Dude, who was only half a length behind the winner. On-course bookmakers reported their biggest turnover of the year and were delighted with the event.

The next target for Kegans Choice is the Ladbroke Puppy Derby at Monmore.

But plans to bring him back to Oxford for the Pall Mall are on hold because of fears that the 450m trip may be just too short.

A more likely target is the Cesarewitch - a race which Twiglish Dude also looks an obvious candidate for.