'He’d probably get in near the bottom of the weights' - National plans afoot for back-to-form 40-1 winner in key trial

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Almost the whole field held a chance turning for home in a steadily run Grand National Trial Handicap Chase before the 40-1 outsider My Immortal engaged the afterburners to streak clear after the last.

Beaten a cumulative 92 lengths in three runs before being pulled up at Leopardstown in December, the Barry Connell-trained ten-year-old was ignored in the market, while Gavin Cromwell’s The Very Man was sent off the 9-2 favourite for the 14-runner contest.

My Immortal led them along at a sedate pace in the testing conditions before his burst of speed to the line to win by five lengths under Finny Maguire.

“Soft to heavy ground is key to him,” Connell said. “The way he's been working at home, I was expecting a big run from him today. All he needed to do was get the ground.

“I might supplement him for the Midlands National. He’d probably get in near the bottom of the weights. We’re going to run out of places for soft ground fairly soon. I might stick him in the Leinster National at home as well.”

It was the first leg of a double on the card for Connell. The trainer's 11-8 chance Ksar Fatal survived a stewards' enquiry to win the 2m3½f maiden hurdle under Sean Flanagan.

A former inmate at Willie Mullins' yard, the six-year-old gave an ex-stablemate, Dani Donadoni, a serious clatter after jumping the last. But stewards decided he had won with enough in hand to keep the placings unchanged.

Heads Up keeps his cool

Heads Up, ridden by Danny Mullins, returned to winning ways in the 2m novice hurdle, seeing off Lazare De Star to provide John McConnell with his first winner over jumps in Ireland since October.

Last year’s Champion Bumper runner-up had been a bitter disappointment when last seen at Cheltenham in January, in the race run in the gloom after the discovery of a large hole up the home straight delayed the start.

John McConnell: welcome winnerCredit: Patrick McCann

“Everything went wrong the last day at Cheltenham,” McConnell said. “The delay to the race didn’t help, but the way he behaved, delay or no delay, he would’ve blown his chance. It was great to get him back. Where he goes next, I’m not sure. There are big decisions to be made, but they’re nice decisions. He’s in both the Supreme [Novices' Hurdle] and the Turners [Novices' Hurdle].”

Paddy Power trimmed the winner into 33-1 (from 66) for the Turners in their non-runner no bet market.

Soldier marches through mud

The market couldn’t split Soldier In Milan or Kiss Will as they were sent off the 13-8 joint favourites of the 2m7f beginners’ chase, but it was the former who kept on best of all to score by a length and a half under Donagh Meyler.

“This is his game, three miles, staying tests on soft ground,” said trainer Emmet Mullins. “He has an entry in the Brown Advisory and in two novice handicaps at Cheltenham as well, so we have plenty of options.”

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