Hanlon pleased with stablestar Skyace Shark Hanlon reports Skyace in great form and ‘a lot stronger’ as his star mare builds up for another campaign having tasted Grade 1 glory last season. The bargain basement purchase, snapped up by the Bagenalstown trainer for just £600 out of Willie Mullins’ yard, improved in leaps and bounds last term winning five times culminating in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Mares) Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday. She has been given a break since disappointing last time when pulled up behind Saldier in the Guinness Galway Hurdle and Hanlon is pleased with how she has developed. “She is back in and I sent the boys (Birdinthehand Syndicate) a video this morning on the gallop,” said Hanlon before adding, “She’s in great form and she has got a lot stronger — she needed to. “She’s up with the big girls now so we’ll have to see where we are going to go with her. There is a race in Fairyhouse for second season novices in early November that she could start off in.” Honeysuckle won that 2m4f Fairyhouse race two years ago.
