Connell and O'Sullivan take the plaudits as smart Enniskerry outclasses rivals

Monday: Roscommon

Barry Connell and his new stable jockey Mikey O'Sullivan were the headline act as they carded a double at Roscommon's final meeting of 2022.

The highlight was the impressive performance of Enniskerry in the Grade 3 Ballymore Group Irish EBF Kilbegnet Novice Chase, the course's principal jumps race of the year.

The son of Jeremy made it two out of two over fences after making a winning chasing debut at the Galway festival, putting in a fine display of jumping and galloping to score by four and three-quarter lengths from old rival Midnight Run, who he had beaten by six and a half lengths at Galway.

Connell said: "The Galway form worked out, he has beaten the same horse well again today. He got in close to one fence down the back, but apart from that his jumping was dynamite. This is his game."

"We were confident coming today, we thought he had come on a bit from Galway. We said after Galway the aim was the Drinmore. That's still the case, but there is a Grade 3 at Cork before that which we might go to first. He'll have no trouble staying two and a half miles on a flat track."

O'Sullivan, who has only recently turned professional, continued his impressive start to life as a conditional and the fact he was unable to use his 7lb claim did not deter Connell from using him.

"He's the next superstar," he said, adding: "He has a retainer with me and is in with me three days a week. He certainly didn't look like a 7lb claimer going around there."

Question of Style

With three duck eggs next to his name after three maiden hurdles last winter, the chances of Low Style were not exactly obvious in the 2m handicap hurdle, but he set the ball rolling for Connell and O'Sullivan with a smooth victory in an incident-packed race.

O'Sullivan sent his mount to the front between the last two flights, hence avoiding a couple of fallers behind him, and he was full value for his six-and-a-half-length victory over Listowel winner Well Funded.

Teenage joy

It was also a memorable day for rider Paddy Cody, 17, who won the concluding bumper on newcomer Quaresome for Kilkenny trainer Kieran Purcell. The teenager was having his seventh bumper ride and rides out for Purcell and for Joseph O'Brien. His father Pat is Purcell's assistant trainer and the jockey is also the nephew of trainer Ray Cody.

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