Tag Archive for: BoyleSports Irish Grand National

Connell sets sights on Irish National with Espanito Bello

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Espanito Bello has the chance to cap a fine season for trainer Barry Connell in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National on Easter Monday.

While Connell has enjoyed plenty of high-profile victories as an owner, he is in just his third season with a licence, enjoying a halcyon campaign from his operation in Nurney, Kildare.

Marine Nationale and Good Land have both provided the former hedge fund manager with Grade One success this season, while the former gave him his first Cheltenham Festival winner as a member of the training ranks when downing Facile Vega with ease in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Now Connell is targeting the feature of Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival with Espanito Bello – who is as short as 12-1 with Paddy Power for the three-mile-five-furlong contest following his romp in the recent Leinster National.

“The plan is to run and the only way we wouldn’t run is if the ground dried up too much. But there looks to be rain due tomorrow and a bit more again at the weekend,” said the trainer.

“He’s in good shape and on the form of his run in Naas where he was back to his very best, we’re hoping he will acquit himself really well.

Trainer Barry Connell bids for Irish Grand National success at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday
Trainer Barry Connell bids for Irish Grand National success at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday (Brian Lawless/PA)

“Easter is early this year and he did run in the race once before. That was on good ground and he wasn’t in as good form as he is now.”

The nine-year-old was raised 11lb to a mark of 151 following his seven-and-a-half-length stroll at Naas, but Connell believes the handicapper has been fair in his assessment and his charge heads to Fairyhouse in great shape.

“He’s gone up 11lb, but he was on 145 during his novice season,” explained the handler.

“In his beginners’ (chase) he beat Coko Beach by 18 lengths at Naas and then finished second in a Grade Two at Navan behind Coko Beach having made a mistake at the last. So he was 145 and he was dropped to 140. I suppose he is 6lb higher now than he was in his novice season and you would expect that with a bit of experience and age, so I think the weight allocation is fair.

“He won easily the last day and you can’t argue with the penalty he got. I think Michael (O’Sullivan, jockey) still has five (winners) left on his 5lb claim, so he is still in with a nice weight.

“I know the last few years bottom weights have been favourite, but you do get the likes of Burrows Saint and Our Duke going there and winning it and our guy is going there in great shape physically and mentally, and if he gets his ground I think he will run his race.

“We’ve only been training two and a half seasons and this is the first full season we’ve had. We’ve had three Grade One winners, a Grade Three and a Cheltenham Festival winner – if we don’t train another winner this season it will still have been a great season.”

Now Where Or When in frame for Irish National bid

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Now Where Or When could return to Fairyhouse for the BoyleSports Irish Grand National following his fine performance in the Bobbyjo Chase.

Stuart Crawford’s eight-year-old – who was sent off 33-1 for the Grade Three contest – was rated some 30lb inferior to the winner Kemboy but ran a career best to finish just a length and a half behind Willie Mullins’ ever-popular Grade One winner in third.

The son of Where Or When holds an entry for the Bar One Racing Leinster National at Naas on March 12, but having shown a real liking for Fairyhouse throughout his career, Crawford suggests the Easter Monday marathon that is the feature of the track’s Easter Festival on April 10 is a more likely target.

He said: “The horse has been a wee bit unfortunate this season – he’s had one or two targets and for whatever reason he’s ended up missing them. So he’s kind of been on the go for a little while and crying out for a run.

“We knew he was a wee bit wrong at the ratings, but Fairyhouse is a track he has won at a couple of times and always ran well so we were happy to let him take his chance.

“We were maybe a little bit unfortunate at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival, he missed the start and never really got into the race there, but hopefully there is a big day in him.”

Now Where or When ridden by jockey Sam Ewing on their way to winning the Start Your Free Trial Now at racingtv.com Handicap Chase at Down Royal
Now Where or When ridden by jockey Sam Ewing on their way to winning the Start Your Free Trial Now at racingtv.com Handicap Chase at Down Royal (Brian Lawless/PA)

On future plans, he continued: “He has an entry for there (Leinster National), but ultimately we would love to come back to Fairyhouse at Easter and that would probably be the target.

“He’s on the verge of whether he would make the cut for that, but he will definitely be given an entry and we will see where we are.

“So far he has proven to be a good jumper and he stays well so it will be worth giving him a shot at it anyway.”