Connell eyes all-weather Final with Elishpour

Owner Barry Connell is eyeing a possible attempt at Lingfield's Good Friday all-weather championship Final with Elishpour following the Alan Fleming trained gelding's win in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap at Dundalk this evening.

Ridden by nine-times Champion Jockey Pat Smullen, 82 rated Elishpour as an all-out head winner over Political Policy

Owner Connell later reported “he's paying his way and that's his third run here and he has two wins; he was mugged by Rashaan the first time.

“Pat (Smullen) said if he'd known him better he would have held on to him for longer because he wasn't doing much when he hit the front.

“He's a grand horse and as I was saying the last time we use him as a lead horse for the young bumper horses at home.”

He added “we ran him in the amateur handicap at Galway, on grass, and he didn't seem to like it but he's transformed since he came up here.

“I think there is something for him here every month through the winter and that'll be the game and if he got high enough, we could look at the all-weather championships in England. There's a two mile race there but I think he'd need to be in the mid-90s.

“The main thing is that he enjoys it and if you find something that they like it's great.

“He didn't like hurdling and I'd say we'll keep off the grass as well. He'll probably have a holiday during the summer and stick to Dundalk.”

Quotes from Gary Carson