Connections happy with Irving Connections of Irving are confident the talented but frustrating gelding will bounce back this season ahead of his intended comeback in the StanJames.com Elite Hurdle at Wincanton next month. A leading novice hurdler two seasons ago before finishing down the field when joint-favourite for the Supreme at Cheltenham, the Paul Nicholls-trained seven-year-old suffered a heavy fall in last year's Elite Hurdle before an impressive victory in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle. However, he was pulled up on two of his next three starts and will return to Wincanton on November 7 with plenty to prove. Dan Downie, racing manager for the owners Axom, said: "Irving seems in very good form and the plan is to go to Wincanton again before going back to Newcastle for the Fighting Fifth. "I think we've learnt a bit about him. He needs to have soft ground and I think small fields probably suit him best. "He had a few aches and pains after he ran at Ayr at the end of last season, but Paul is very happy with him at the moment. "Hopefully he'll start off at Wincanton, but I think the ground is quite important." Downie also revealed Grade One winner Vibrato Valtat would make his return in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on November 3.
