Plenty to look forward to for Deegan Paul Deegan started off his seventh campaign training with a good winner at Leopardstown on Sunday in the shape of Best Hello and the master of Clifton Lodge Stables, from where Frances Crowley sent out Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine, Saoire, issued an upbeat report on that three-year-old and the rest of his string this afternoon. The 31-year-old, Dunlavin County Wicklow native, who numbers Mick Channon, Victor Bowens and Jessica Harrington among his former employers, said: "Best Hello seems fine. He was out this morning and he seems fresh and well. He's eaten up great since – I'd be happy with him. "I think we'll stick to the plan of Gowran next. The ground at Leopardstown was as quick as he'd want it. I think he's a better horse on a slower surface. "We always had it in the back of our mind to go to Gowran afterwards. It will be ground dependent. He'll also be put in the Ballysax and the Derrinstown as well. "Best Hello was a well-bought horse. There was no reason for that at all. He was a smashing two-year-old and a smashing yearling. I hadn't seen him, Kate (Paul's wife) saw him and she came up to me at the ring and said I think you need to see this Beat Hollow horse. "He's got a really good pedigree as well. I went down to look at him and as soon as I saw him I said yep, we'll buy that fellow. We got him cheap. He is out of a Rainbow Quest mare and he was always going to take a bit of time so maybe that's what put people off. He always showed us a lot last year. We just gave him the time and hopefully he'll repay us. Meanwhile on the rest of his string, Deegan relayed news of some departures, saying: "Stand To Attention is gone - he was sold to Hong Kong. Bobbyscot was sold to Hong Kong as well. "Lady Springbank has been covered and she is retired. "We're kind of starting from scratch again this year. "Anything we had half-decent last year – our three best ones, Lady Springbank, Stand To Attention and Bobbyscot were all either sold or retired and covered. "We've got just four older horses this year now but I do think that we've got a nice bunch of three-year-olds. "Best Hello obviously, hopefully he's got a bright future. "Red Shaheen who was fifth in his first run back at the Curragh on soft ground. I think he'll take a lot of beating wherever he goes next. Song Of Time is another that could be alright. "We've got around twenty two-year-olds. "At the sales I was a huge fan of the Dark Angel stock. I missed out on a couple but I managed to buy one. He is showing a lot of pace at home and you'd have to be taken by Michael Mulvany's one as well (Tough As Nails, the demoted first past the post at the Curragh on the opening day). He did it well. "So I think the Dark Angels are definitely ones to look out for. Our lad goes really well. We backed off him and gave him an easy month and he really blossomed and filled-out. They are not just small early two-year-olds. They stand over a bit of ground and have a lovely top line on them. I'd like them – they seem to have a lot of pace too. "I'd love to have a couple of jumpers and next winter we'll definitely try have a few to get us out and about. "Going back to what I was saying, anything we have that is half-decent we sell them. We sold Rare Symphony to go jumping and Bold Identity to go jumping. They are two really nice horses that you'd love to go jumping with but my owners want to move them on and we're predominantly a flat yard and you need to keep new fresh blood coming in. "I own a few two-year-olds myself as well so we have to keep turning them over. We have to try and balance the books somehow!" (EM)
