McConnell's stable star puts the Head down and battles Due to the drying ground, Gordon Elliott withdrew both Mange Tout and Generous Risk from Down Royal’s bottlegreen Hurdle and saw his remaining runner El Cairos take a tired last-flight fall after running out of steam on the approach to it. At the business end of the two mile-one furlong contest, the front-running Heads Up (10/1) was a notable winner for trainer John McConnell as owner Darragh McDonagh’s Blue Bresil gelding got the better of Blake by a length and three-quarters. The latter had joined issue two out, but Heads Up, under Danny Mullins, was not for passing and drew away after the final flight to record a second win at Listed level. "You were coming here with the way the ratings were set and the penalty - we were up against it. Obviously, two horses came out, but there were still some good horses in it," said McConnell. "He wouldn't like the kind of quicker ground that is here, he eats soft ground. He was very good to go through it and to handle it. "Everything had gone really well at home. We found a problem with his knee last year after Fairyhouse and Ger Kelly (vet) did a good job in getting it right. We haven't had a moment's worry with it this year. I'd say the problem was niggling at him the whole year and finally came out in Fairyhouse. "Danny said he's a different horse to what he rode even when he won last year. "Probably a minimum trip for him as well. He's a tough horse and he was going away at the line. "We had a plan to go to Punchestown over fences in three weeks, so we'll see. Obviously, he is going to go up to probably 140 now. There are good discussions to be had. "He's a very high-class horse and that run against No Drama This End (Cheltenham) when things didn't go right, and the Listed win (Punchestown), were very good runs. We were fighting with a little injury the whole time that was under the surface. "The horse has been very relaxed at home, so great job to the team at home. He's got special casts on his feet this year. It has been a big team effort to get him here and this fit. He will still improve for the run, but delighted." Additional reporting by Michael Graham
