Connell upbeat on Elish prospects Owner Barry Connell feels there is plenty to look forward to with Elishpour following his excellent effort at Royal Ascot. The five-year-old had been enduring a disappointing spell over hurdles for Tony Martin, but switched back to the level for the Ascot Stakes, he ran a fine race to finish a close third behind the Willie Mullins-trained Clondaw Warrior on the opening day of the meeting. Elishpour could go back over jumps if a suitable opportunity can be found and Connell also has an eye on one or two other staying handicaps on the Flat towards the end of the season. He said: "We were delighted with him. He ran a very good race and we were expecting him to as he'd been working well at home and won a schooling race before he went over. "He had an operation on his wind a while ago, which has obviously worked and he's getting home better in his races now. "We'll mix and match it a bit with him now on the Flat and over hurdles. He has a nice mark over hurdles as well and obviously likes better ground. "I don't think there's anything for him in Galway. Some of the better two-mile races on the Flat are later in the year and we'll look at things like the Cesarewitch or the Leopardstown November Handicap."
