Connell delighted with Berbas run Owner Barry Connell feels the future is bright for Gwencily Berbas after his fine effort to finish third in Sunday's Hatton's Grace Hurdle. Making just his fourth start since arriving from France in the middle of last season, the Alan Fleming-trained four-year-old proved himself capable of making his mark at the highest level in the Fairyhouse feature, beaten a shade under five lengths by last season's Champion Hurdle runner-up Arctic Fire. Connell already has one eye on a career over fences for his exciting youngster. He l said: "He's only a four-year-old and it was a big step up, but he acquitted himself well. "The handicapper has put him up 11lb to 150, which will make him one of if not the highest-rated four-year-old in the country, which is great. "He's not your typical four-year-old. He was quite immature last season, he's a big-framed horse and hopefully there's plenty of improvement there. "I think he'll be chasing next season and will only have a handful of runs over hurdles this year. He'll be an exciting horse to go jumping fences. "There aren't many two-and-a-half-mile races for him. He's in the two-mile (Ryanair Hurdle) and the three-mile (Christmas Hurdle) Grade Ones at Leopardstown at Christmas, so we'll see how he is and what the ground is looking like nearer the time. "I think he prefers nice ground and we wouldn't want to be stepping up in trip with him when it's heavy."
