Fleming & Connell warm up for Cheltenham with Naas double

Trainer Alan Fleming and owner Barry Connell warmed up for the Cheltenham festival next week with a double at Naas today as Mount Pelier completed the feat in the Naas Supporters Handicap Hurdle.

Mount Pelier was well supported on track from 7/1 to 5/1 and in the race jockey Donagh Meyler produced him from off the pace before eventually scoring an easy six lengths win over Count Simon

Fleming, successful with Espanito Bello in the opening maiden hurdle, expects to have “three or four” runners at next week's festival, beginning with Champayne Lady in Tuesday's Mares' Hurdle, and following Mount Pelier's win stated “I was really impressed with him and he's improving rightly and the soft ground is helping him a lot.

“He won an okay bumper in Wexford (which he subsequently lost due to a technicality with winning jockey Conor McNamara's riding license) and you would have thought he was going to be alright but he might be going forward now.

“You are always a little bit worried coming back within a week from his last run; we'll look for a nice race for him the next day and hopefully the ground will be soft.

“Chasing is his game as he's a great jumper. Hopefully we might have a nice one on our hands to go chasing next season.”

Quotes from Gary Carson