Eagle connections remain upbeat Connections of Open Eagle remain upbeat after the runaway November Handicap winner suffered an odds-on reverse on his hurdling debut at Punchestown on Sunday. The six-year-old made a huge impression when sauntering clear on the final day of Flat season at Doncaster last year for David O'Meara , prompting the Supreme Horse Racing Club and Willie Mullins to snap him up. He appeared to have been found an excellent opportunity to get his jumping career off to a successful start over the weekend but he had to make do with minor honours in third. However, Supreme racing manager Steve Massey feels there is still plenty to look forward to for the rest of the season and beyond. He said: "We were obviously a bit disappointed he got beaten, we hoped he would win, but we still think we have a very good horse going forward. "It was his first run over hurdles and he was just a bit deliberate in the jumping department. Ruby (Walsh) said he lost two lengths at every hurdle. "He also wasn't as keen as we were expecting and we'll probably make more use of him on his next run. "We think the two and a half miles is fine for him and we'll try and find another maiden hurdle in three weeks or so. "We gave him the entries at Cheltenham, it would have been daft not to, but it was always likely to be too much too soon for an inexperienced horse like him."
