Irish trainer with incredible strike-rate at Hexham sends one horse there on Sunday

John McConnell has a brilliant strike-rate at Hexham so it has to be very interesting that he sends just one horse from Stamullen in County Meath across to Hexham. McConnell has a 41 per cent return there in the last five seasons and with that in mind, let’s take a look at the horse in question below.

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3.18 Hexham

The horse in question is the lightly raced Fortune The Brave, who will carry top weight in the 2m7f novices’ handicap hurdle. The five-year-old was third in a Downpatrick bumper on debut last year before winning a 2m4f bumper at Kilbeggan.

On his return in March, he started his maiden hurdle campaign, and truth be told he was bitterly disappointing in three starts in maiden company, beaten a combined 94 lengths at trips ranging from 2m to 3m1f.

Nonetheless, for his handicap debut at Punchestown, there was plenty of market support for Fortune The Brave and he was sent off at odds of 8/1 for the 20-runner contest. We didn’t get to see how he would fare out as he didn’t get past the first hurdle, unseating his rider on the day.

Interestingly, Gavin Sheehan has been booked for this assignment and it is also his only ride at the track, which looks significant. Sheehan is in flying form, operating at 20 per cent this season, and he has a 30 per cent return at Hexham in the last five seasons.

Fortune The Brave has to race from an inflated British mark, but there’s every chance he is well ahead of a rating of 103 and it doesn’t look that deep a race at all.

15:18

Hexham

Fortune The Brave

Analysis

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