Under The Radar: Five to note in the John McConnell yard

The National Hunt season is only just getting going, and already John McConnell has had as many winners in Ireland this term as he had in the entirity of last season.

It’s an upward trajectory. Last season was his second best Jump season in terms of numbers of winners in Ireland since he took out a licence.

Moon D’Orange provided one of the highlights in the premier two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase at Cheltenham’s January meeting, last of 11 on the run to the home turn, in front at the last, that final fence error that nearly gave it all away and getting back up to win by a short head.

Heads Up was another, in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, when he gave best only to Bambino Fever. Heads Up was impressive too in winning his maiden hurdle at Listowel in September on his seasonal return, and he has the potential to take his place among the top novice hurdlers this season. He is one of many horses that McConnell has to look forward to for the season ahead.

Here's what he had to say about five of his team

She has been placed in her three bumpers to date. She was second at Limerick in April in a bumper that is working out well, and she kept on well to finish second again back at Limerick last month. She should have won her bumper by now really, she has the talent to win a bumper.

She’s going for the lListed bumper at Cheltenham on Saturday now. The lads wanted to have a crack at this race, and she’s well up to having a go at it.

I think that Cheltenham will suit her well. She’s only five, but she’s a big mare and she’s only coming to herself. She’ll probably go over hurdles then, she’ll be a two-and-a-half-mile hurdler I’d say.

We’ve had a few stop starts with her, but we’re in a good place with her now. I hope that she can run well on Saturday, and she could have a nice season ahead.

He was very good in bumpers last season. He won well at Punchestown in November and he ran really well in a Listed bumper at Navan in December, before going to Cheltenham in March and finishing second in the Champion Bumper.

He was good at Listowel in winning his maiden hurdle on his hurdling debut, and there was a good bit of room for improvement as well. He has the ability to jump well. He’s done a fair bit of schooling since Listowel, and he has gone well.

He’s going to run in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday, so we’ll know a lot more after that. He was obviously a very good bumper horse, but it doesn't always translate, not every good bumper horse is as good over hurdles, and horses who weren’t so good in bumpers can obviously improve over hurdles. He’s our star though, and we hope that he can go well on Friday.

He did well over hurdles last season, and he battled on well to win his beginners’ chase on his first run over fences at the Galway Festival in August.

He was well beaten in a novices’ chase last time at Cheltenham’s October meeting, when I thought that maybe we stretched his stamina. Three miles and one furlong at Cheltenham is very different to two miles and six and a half furlongs at Galway, and eight of the 12 fences were omitted at Cheltenham, which made it even more of a stamina test. He travelled well most of the way, and he jumped well. He was right there with the leaders on the run around the home turn.

We’ll look to drop him back in trip now to two and a half miles or maybe two miles and six furlongs. We gave him an easy time of it after his last run, so he could be out again this side of Christmas, or maybe at Christmas. The novices’ handicap chase at Cheltenham in March could be a race for him and, given that he won his beginners’ chase at Galway, we might look to go back to Galway with him again next year.  

Second in her only point-to-point, she was impressive in winning her bumper on her first run for us at Bellewstown in August.

She’s a big filly, and we’re giving her a break now. She didn’t really get a break after running in her point-to-point before she won her bumper, and she’s a big-framed filly who could benefit now from a break.

We had her in the Listed mares’ bumper at Cheltenham on Saturday, but she’s not going to go there now. We’ll aim at a nice bumper in the spring with her, maybe the mares’ bumper at Punchestown, and then we can go hurdling with her in the summer. She likes nice ground.

He was very good in winning the premier handicap chase at Cheltenham last January on soft ground. He hasn’t has his ground since. He wants soft ground.

His last three runs have been over hurdles. He ran quite well over hurdles against Hewick at Thurles last month, and then he was nearly too forward-going in a Pertemps qualifier over three miles at Cheltenham’s October meeting. We probably should have ridden him a bit more quietly.

There are more days in him for sure, and we want to explore the three-mile route or the three-and-a-quarter-mile route with him now. We have him in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury at the end of the month, and he could take his chance in that. He ran well on his only run to date at Newbury just after Christmas last year in a two-mile-six-and-a-half-furlong novices’ handicap chase. There’s every chance that he’ll stay and, if he does stay, he could run well in that.

If he doesn't go for the Coral Gold Cup, he could go for the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham. He’s at least as good as he was last year, if not better. He jumps well, he jumps economically. We probably haven’t seen the best of him yet, but he does need things to fall in his favour.