David Christie© Photo Healy Racing
Some Man made a winning start for David Christie at Toomebridge point-to-point on Saturday and had the handler talking of him as a potential Cheltenham Foxhunters horse.
The six-year-old gelding easily won a Portrush point-to-point for Donnchadh Doyle back in March 2017 before being sold for a six-figure sum to race for Paul Nicholls.
He was unplaced in three novices' hurdles for Nicholls and was picked up for a small fee by Christie at Goffs in May.
In this winners of one assignment, he was prominent in the early exchanges before racing behind Benefit North who built up a 30-length lead at the halfway stage.
When the petrol gauge flashed on the leader at the third last, Some Man swept into the lead and was in charge coming to the last.
He strode home by two and a half lengths for Rob James and justified 6/4 favouritism.
County Fermanagh handler Christie said: "Everything around there today was the exact opposite to what he would want - tight, they were all taking each other on and he was gassy because it was his first run back.
"He has done well there in his first run to do that. He has come a long way in a short space of time for us.
"I got him in Doncaster (Sales) for five grand. We brought him home and sent him away for the summer and he came back real well.
"He's just as good a horse that I've had on my hands for a long time - a staying horse and there's no reason, if he was lucky, he couldn't go a long way. He has loads of class.
"Ideally I would rather have gone to Castletown-Geoghegan tomorrow - it would have suited him far better. This is kind of a tight track for a big horse like that but Ray (Nicholas, owner) was here today and he's away tomorrow.
"When he gets a proper, big, galloping track he will be a different proposition altogether.
"The last three weeks I haven't looked forward to a horse running so much in a long time. Now it is out of the way it is kind of a relief and it is onwards and upwards.
"I could see him one day in the Cheltenham Foxhunters."
Christie's joint-champion mare for 2016, Maple Mons, won 15 races 'between the flags' during her career in addition to three hunters chases.
