O’Connell continues on upward curve with third straight win

There was a northern raider in the Sandown winner’s enclosure after the Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase, as O’Connell continued Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith’s fine recent form.

The Yorkshire duo have been well among the winners of late and O’Connell has been central to their success, building up a fine reputation in staying contests.

Having gamely won at Carlisle at the start of December, he routed the opposition at Market Rasen on Boxing Day to claim the Lincolnshire National and maintained his progress with a taking victory in this three-mile event on testing ground.

Sent off the 7-4 favourite, he was ridden with supreme confidence by Gavin Sheehan and as the race entered the business end, no horse was finishing stronger than the thriving nine-year-old, who galloped to a two-and-three-quarter-length victory over Anthony Honeyball’s Dreaming Blue.

Sheehan was impressed with his mount and said: “He raced very efficiently and relaxed behind the bridle and jumps well.

“I thought we went a strong gallop but we always had a target coming up that hill and that’s what helped us out at the finish. When you have a target, it is great, but when you are in front, it is a very lonely spot and they don’t do an awful lot in front. He’s done well.

“I’ve won on this lad before, it’s very extreme out there and I’ve been conservative, so I should have finished better if he was good enough – and he proved he was. He’s a good staying chaser and you could easily see him running in the Eider or something next year, you never know.”

Assistant trainer Sarah Drake added: “He’s a really nice horse who’s now won three in a row. The horses are running really well and we’re having a really good time of it.

“He’s proven his stamina there and it’s not nice ground out there today. He finished really strongly at Market Rasen and four furlongs out he looked like he would win the race. He was brilliant at Market Rasen and brilliant again today.”