Connell's Plate hopes for Smurfer Barry Connell is keeping his fingers crossed talented chaser Usuel Smurfer makes the cut for the Galway Plate on July 30. The six-year-old got off the mark over fences in impressive fashion at Fairyhouse on his penultimate start and was last seen finishing third in the Killarney National in May. The leading owner hopes Usuel Smurfer will head a small but select team for the week-long Ballybrit bonanza at the end of the month. Connell said: "We might have four or five runners during the week. Hopefully Usuel Smurfer might get in the Plate and then we might have a few runners elsewhere. "Usuel Smurfer is rated 134, so hopefully he'll get in the Plate down the bottom of the weights and he'd have a bit of a squeak. "He's a horse who likes goodish ground - he's not a winter horse. "They always put plenty of water on the track in Galway if they need to, so I'm sure it will be good, safe ground."
