Make The Switch puts McConnell joint top of Dundalk's Winter series

John McConnell will enjoy his Christmas dinner this year at the end of a very good December for him, as he followed up his double at Cheltenham last weekend with the victory of the progressive and versatile Make The Switch.

It may not sound a lot, but victory in the second division of the 1m4f handicap was of statistical significance.

It was his tenth winner of the Winter Series at Dundalk and draws him level with Joseph O'Brien at the top of that particular championship, just as his double at Cheltenham with Some Neck and Make Good means he lies second only to Nicky Henderson in the Cheltenham trainers' table for the current season.

Make The Switch did it well too, the imposing son of Dansili running on strongly inside the last furlong under Sam Ewing to beat the staying on Crassus by a length-and-three-quarters.

The Derek Kierans-owned gelding has now won on the Flat and over hurdles, and should be one we will hear more of next year.

McConnell said: "He did it well. He's a big horse and handles this surface quite well, so I would say we will come back here next year.

"He will definitely go back over hurdles too, but I would say he is more of a summer hurdler. He's a big horse and probably only coming to himself, so there might be a bit more left in him."

Connections double up

For rider Sam Ewing, Make The Switch was the second leg of a double initiated in the first division of the 1m4f handicap by runaway winner Irish Poseidon.

Sam Ewing: rode a double on Irish Poseidon and Make The SwitchCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Trained by Matt Smith, the four-year-old was completing a hat-trick of victories at this venue, this six-length defeat of Belgoprince and dual course winner Storm Steps being by far the most impressive performance of the three.

Also doubling up was the owner of Make The Switch, Derek Kierans, whose charge Hannon won the 2m handicap under Gary Carroll, for in-form trainer Tom Gibney, who was quick to praise the owner, saying: "Derek had been mentioning this race for a while, so we have to give him the credit for this."

He added: "There aren't too many of those two mile races and he looks like he wants every yard of it, so I don't know where we'll go now."

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