Going - Soft, yielding in places. Fine
Jackpot Pool - €4,697.74 Dividend - €32.60 Winning Units - 100.72. Placepot Pool - €64,456.96 Dividend - €15.80 Winning Units - 2841.91. Days Aggregate - €325,302.55 Last Year €150,233.73
Seddon routs rivals in Leopardstown opener
It's all down to the lads in the syndicate that wanted to run because I was getting very watery about the ground. It seemed to make no difference to him,. He jumped great, Ben was always happy that he was going the right pace and it's great to have a guy with a brain and a clock in his head. I was never worried he was going too fast because Ben is such a good rider. On his handicap mark, compared to his hurdle mark, he was entitled to run very well. When he won in Cheltenham this was always the plan to come here. We thought we'd get nice ground here and then it started to rain. We got a little bit worried but what a horse. Mr handicapper is going to have his say now! He's going to get into the hurdle race in Cheltenham off the mark he's on now and probably the chase as well so we can do what we want and he doesn't owe us anything now. For some of these guys having a Leopardstown winner is as good if not better than having a Cheltenham winner as they've been coming here all their life. It's brilliant. He's really easy to train and I don't think we need to run him again. If we want to have a go at a real big one we'll leave him on whatever mark he's going to get. It's just a decision about whether to go hurdling or chasing. I didn't think he was as good over fences but he was good there today, to jump around Leopardstown like that. I said to Ben 'save your long one for when you need it' but he didn't really need any of them.
Good Land another potentially smart novice for Connell
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,. 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 happen
She does it Well in mares hurdle
It was very good, she wasn't very brave over her hurdles so I was very happy the last hurdle was taken out twice,. I thought going down the back she wasn't going to race much but once Paul got after her she just kicked into gear. She improved and enjoyed herself then. Paul said they went a right good gallop and he was at his best just trying to keep her in touch with the race. She was losing a half length here and there at her hurdles which wasn't good for her but she eventually got it right and when it came to staying she outstayed the rest of them.
Gaillard Du Mesnil sheds maiden tag in style
He had the experience, he had the rating, he was still a maiden but we had kept him to good class company all the time and he got his experience against that type of company,. Paul said he just flew fences down the back for him. They went very fast and he was even taken off it a bit early on but the pace up front took it's toll and they paid the penalty. He just glided into the race down the outside, kept out of trouble and kept away from the loose horse the best he could. He just kept jumping and landed in front. He deserved a crack at that trip (last time) though it was a little bit short for him. He probably learned a lot going that pace over two-miles-three. All that experience counts for a day like today.
State Man leads home Mullins 1-2-3 in Matheson Hurdle
He just keeps improving and I think there is more improvement again after today,. We were discussing where he goes next and the Dublin Racing festival looks like the plan now. Hopefully we don't get any setbacks, the horses have been coming out of Leopardstown well over the last few days, and we'll look forward to that and then maybe going over to Cheltenham in March. I think Paul was very happy where he was all the time. It's repaid all the faith shown. When you go back to Al Boum Photo running out in Punchestown Joe and Marie rang me up five minutes after the race and said 'whatever happened, happened' and it would make no difference so it's loyalty paying off.
Byrnes strikes again in novice handicap with Glory
It was great to win that, the same connections won it nine years ago with Sea Light,. He was getting a lot of weight off the second and he gave him a lovely cool ride. He came there and got a great jump at the last. He won snug enough without having too much to spare. I'd say two-and-a-half is probably his trip, I'd say two miles is a bit sharp for him. We'll find something again over that trip. The syndicate have been very lucky. This is probably the most expensive horse they've ever bought. They've had some great days.
Fascile Mode makes impressive winning debut at Leopardstown
He did a blinding bit of work a week ago. He was always a nice horse and he ticks all the boxes, he's a nice horse and he has the pedigree,. When he did a nice bit of work we said we'd take a chance here. We were going to run Monday but Charlie was injured so we came here instead. Charlie is cool, he's only 18 but he's a very good rider. He's obviously a very good horse to do that first time. He beat a heap of winners there. Hopefully the phone will be ringing and hopefully one of those multi-millionaires will come and buy him!
