Good Land and Michael O Sullivan win the Pigsback com Maiden Hurdle © Photo Healy Racing
Barry Connell looks to have another decent young prospect on his hands in the shape of Good Land who ran out an impressive winner of the Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The Blue Bresil gelding had looked smart when easily winning his bumper at Wexford in October but blotted his copybook when unseating at the first flight on his hurdling debut at Fairyhouse earlier this month.
The six-year-old showed just what he is capable here, making most under Michael O'Sullivan before kicking on when challenged early in the straight. The manner in which he put daylight between himself and the opposition suggested he should be good enough to hold his own in better company.
“We've hit the bar here before and I actually never rode a winner here so that's brilliant, everyone wants to have a winner at Leopardstown at Christmas,” said Connell.
“We brought three here, the first two we fancied and they ran well but this guy was the banker of the week. He's gone in and we're thrilled.
“He beat Landrake in his bumper and the third and fourth have both won so for a Wexford bumper it was very strong.
“He's all stamina so I knew this two-and-a-half miles today, up the hill, would be right up his street.
“He went at the first (in Fairyhouse) and it can happen any novice. He was a little careful, screwed and pitched on landing.
“He's a good jumper, you can see there today. When he needed to shorten he did and when he had a stride he was good and long.
“He's six, rising seven, he actually fractured a sesamoid in his bumper at the Drinmore meeting and that was a year off.
“We were thinking of going chasing but I think we'll have to revise that plan now.
“I don't know how strong the race was but he couldn't have been any more impressive.
“I thought coming into today we might be looking at something like the Michael Purell, which is a Grade 3 in Thurles, but I'm going to make an entry for the two-mile-six Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival. On the back of that he's entitled to an entry.
“There would have been a lynching party if he got beat. The plan was to sit behind the fancied ones but he can do that at home, when you go to jump off he lurches forward.
“He said that was what happened and he just went with the flow then.”
When asked to compare him with Marine Nationale he added:- “This horse is obviously more of a stayer, the other horse is very quick.
“He'd be able to work with the other horse but he wouldn't be as quick as him.
“Marine Nationale is on his holidays in Cork. He's out on grass and will be back in about two weeks.
“We'll have him back in the middle of January and he'll go straight to Cheltenham. We'll get a racecourse gallop into him somewhere.”
Paddy Powers introduced Good Land into their Ballymore betting at 20/1.
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
