William Munny will now be saved for novice chasing next term

Barry Connell already has his sights set on a novice chasing campaign with William Munny after confirming the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up will not run again this season.

Two years on from Connell winning the Cheltenham Festival curtain raiser with his new Champion Chase hero Marine Nationale, history looked like it may repeat itself as the mount of Sean Flanagan stalked Kopek Des Bordes into the home straight and had Willie Mullins’ star novice within reach at the final flight.

The seven-year-old got within two lengths of Kopek Des Bordes but was unable to reel in the heavy favourite, finishing a brave and creditable second in a race fittingly named after Connell’s former stable jockey, the late Michael O’Sullivan.

The Kildare handler feels softer ground in the future would play to his charge’s strengths and having watched him gradually improve over hurdles during the current campaign, he is relishing the prospect of sending William Munny over the larger obstacles next term and returning to Prestbury Park in the spring for a crack at the Arkle.

Connell said: “He ran a super race and I think it was one of the strongest novice races we’ve seen anywhere in the last five years, there was some real strength and depth.

“Without the winner, we would have been a very good six-length winner and he ran a brilliant race.

“He’s a horse who has been doing everything wrong and the penny only dropped for him at Punchestown three weeks before Cheltenham and he then settled well and put in a great round of jumping in the Supreme.

“He’s a horse who is much better on soft ground and it’s a pity the ground was quick on the first couple of days, they were barely making a print in it, and our guy came back quite jarred after the race.

“He definitely will be better with an ease in the ground and he definitely won’t run again this season – he’s had two runs close together and Punchestown (Festival) hardly ever comes up soft.

“The plan is to go novice chasing next season, he’s done his job over hurdles now and we’ll look forward to putting together a campaign and hopefully going back for the Arkle next year.”