No Trouble and Kieren Buckley© Photo Healy Racing
No Trouble (11/2) benefited from a good waiting ride from Kieran Buckley today, providing the jockey's old ally, trainer John McConnell with a noteworthy win in Downpatrick's McGrady Financial Rated Novice Hurdle.
No Trouble, the fourth son of leading flat stallion No Nay Never to win over jumps, arrived from off the pace to lead at the last and scored comfortably from Prince Zaltar
McConnell later commented “I'm not sure if I was the first Irish guy to use Kieran in England and he rode for me at the November meeting last year in Cheltenham. I watched him in the UK and he has a good brain and is a really good horseman.
"There was a gap in the market here and he has come over and he is making the most of it. I see all the good lads are using him - Gordon (Elliott) and Gavin (Cromwell), he is very good value and won't have the 5lb for long more."
Regarding the Cathal McGuckin-owned winner, he added "he has been running pretty consistently over hurdles and has a turn of foot at this level. He has been a great horse for the guys, he'll keep going and will win again. We'll see where we go with him, he is ground dependent and wouldn't want it any softer than that.”
He added “we've nearly had one winner at every meeting here this year and I was wondering coming up whether we'd have one because we had chances, but no real good things. That's my 60th winner of the year, so it is nice to get that milestone."
Quotes from Michael Graham
