McConnell records double at Cheltenham John McConnell continued his fine record at Cheltenham when bagging a double on the card today. Seddon ran out an impressive winner of the Abu Dhabi Digital Exchange Handicap Hurdle to initiate the brace. The Stowaway gelding is a nine-year-old with plenty of class and he followed up a decent third at Navan with a five-and-a-half-length success under a fine ride from 5lb claimer Ben Harvey. Seventh in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival meeting in 2019 when with Tom George, he scored twice for Harry Whittington and got off the mark for County Meath trainer McConnell. “He ran very well at Cartmel and we always had this race in mind after giving him a pipe-opener at Navan,” he said. “He has been flying at home — he has been really well. He is a horse who is probably better off at 95 per cent rather than 101 per cent. He is better fresh and doesn’t take much training. “We’ll see what the handicapper does, but he can always go back chasing.” Fennor Cross completed the double when taking an incident packed finale. Simon Torrens sent his mount to the front over the second last in the Foundation Developments Ltd Maiden Hurdle and he galloped on strongly in the closing stages to score by six-and-a-half lengths. The 4/1 winner was making his second outing over timber having been third at Galway last month. He is a four-time Flat winner. “I’m delighted,” said McConnell. “I thought he had a really good chance and couldn’t believe his price. “The form of his Galway maiden hurdle run was very good and he was very green that day. “He is a still a big baby. He is a tall, leggy horse with more improvement in him. I don’t know where we will go now. We will have to step up in grade, but he’s a good horse, I’d say.” He added of his first brace at the track: “It is brilliant. We might have a Coke Zero tonight! “I have three nice horses tomorrow and hopefully the ground will dry out a bit. The horse in the novice is favourite and the bumper horse is a very good horse.”
