Good Land pencilled for Grade One mission next month

Barry Connell’s Good Land has a Grade One return to Leopardstown in store after his taking victory at the track last week.

The lightly-raced seven-year-old had some good bumper form to his name when making his hurdles debut at Fairyhouse in early December, but a first-fence mistake cut that run short as he parted ways with rider Michael O’Sullivan.

At Leopardstown on Thursday he returned to contest the Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle, a race he dominated when making all of the running and going on to win by an unchallenged eight lengths on the line.

Connell now has a step up in calibre in mind for the Blue Bresil gelding, with the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy Solicitors Novice Hurdle on the agenda at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February.

“We were delighted with him, we knew he was a smart horse,” the owner-trainer said.

“He won his bumper in Wexford very well and the form of that race had worked out, there were a number of winners that came out of that race.

“In that Fairyhouse run he just landed steeply after one hurdle, that was it. He was basically a non-runner in that race.

“His jumping is good and I don’t think he missed a beat in Leopardstown, he might have got in tight to one but was very clever and the rest were spot on.

“He’d been schooling well at home so we were expecting him to run a big race, but when you go to Leopardstown for a maiden run at Christmas with all the big yards involved – it takes a pretty good horse to win there.

“The manner in which he won was very impressive. I think he’s entitled to take his shot now at the Dublin Racing Festival and that’s where we’ll probably go next.

“The plan is to go for the two-mile six (furlong) race at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Grade One.”