Heads Up back on song on home turf

John McConnell will consider all the spring festivals for Heads Up after seeing him get back on the winning trail at Punchestown.

Runner-up in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last March, the six-year-old made a successful start over obstacles at Listowel in September and was second to star British novice No Drama This End back in Cheltenham the following month.

He disappointed on Festivals Trials day at Prestbury Park in late January, but with a hood applied he showed his true colours in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle under Danny Mullins, claiming Listed honours by three-quarters of a length from odds-on favourite Lazare De Star

“Obviously everything went wrong the last day. The delay didn’t help, but the way he behaved delay or no delay he would have blown his chance,” said McConnell of the 5-2 chance.

“The frustrating thing is that he’s a very placid horse at home and is not keen or anything. All his schooling has been in behind, but if you get into a row with him you’ll lose.

“Where we go, I don’t know. There will be big decisions to be talked about, but they are nice decisions.

“He’s in both the Supreme and the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. He’s probably a two and a half miler, but with his exuberance we decided to come back to two miles and he obviously settled a lot better.

“Cheltenham is an atmospheric place and for whatever reason he just didn’t handle it. We had the hood on today and it obviously helped.

“It’s a worry because we’re going to be going to either Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown or Fairyhouse and they all have atmospheres.

“Hopefully he’ll mature and with the hood on him it might be a big help.”

Another horse who could be in action at Cheltenham in March is the Emmet Mullins-trained Soldier In Milan after he obliged as a 13-8 joint-favourite in the 1xbet.ie Beginners Chase.

Mullins said: “It was a nice performance. He’s still a bit green and babyish, I suppose he hasn’t had too much racing under his belt.

“Hopefully it’s onwards and upwards. He has an entry in the Brown Advisory and I think I’ve entered him in the two novice handicaps at Cheltenham as well, so we’ve plenty of options. We’ll mull over Cheltenham strongly.”

Pure Steel (5-6 favourite) was a 12-length winner of the Concept Colours Noel Byrne Memorial Rated Novice Chase for trainer Jimmy Mangan, owner JP McManus and jockey Mark Walsh.

Mangan said: “I think he’s a nice horse. He’ll win a lot of races and he jumps well.

“I don’t know where we’ll go next, but hopefully Fairyhouse for the WillowWarm Gold Cup or back here for the festival.”

There was talk of a tilt at the Champion Bumper for the Willie Mullins-trained Heldam before he lined up in the Join Racing TV Now (Pro/Am) Flat Race, but he could only finish a lacklustre third behind Gordon Elliott’s decisive winner Soul Asylum (9-4).

“He’s a nice horse, a big galloper. He’s a next year horse really,” said Elliott.

“You might see him in Fairyhouse or somewhere like that for a bumper.

“He wouldn’t be a horse that would be travelling to Cheltenham, he’s a big baby.”