John McConnell reckons stable sweetheart Anna Bunina is marriage material. And the Irish trainer is hoping his magic mare’s love affair with the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle is extended on Saturday.
Anna is heading back to Ayr to defend her crown on Scots Grand National Day. Two years ago, she came second to Milkwood and the pain of narrow defeat was doubled by a serious tendon injury sustained during the contest. Anna boldly fought back from that setback and crowned her return with a spectacular victory over West Cork in the contest 12 months ago.
McConnell is charging up the training ranks and makes no secret of the fact the seven-year-old has played a massive role in his progression. He said: “She means a lot to me. I suppose when you see her and see how small she is, you really appreciate what she does.
“She’s had her injuries and her ailments, yet has the heart of a lion and, when you have that on your side, anything is possible. That’s why she’s so special to us. As well as being a high quality horse, she’s helped my profile and been such a big part of my life and my career.
“She is lovely to deal with. If she was a woman, you would marry her!"
Teak tough, Anna has run a dozen times since last year’s Ayr win and McConnell knows she can again deliver on the big day.
He continued: “We’re looking forward to it. We’ve had the race in mind again for her all year. Hopes are probably a bit lower at this stage as she has been running consistently and not gone down [the handicap] too much. But she has run well in a couple of big handicaps at the Dublin Racing Festival and at Cheltenham and that puts her in with a shout.”
As well as Anna, McConnell will run new recruit Whosmydaddy in Saturday’s concluding bumper.
The talented handler heads into the Ayr meeting on the crest of a wave after a superb season which peaked with massive wins at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals.
In March, Seddon won the Magners Plate Handicap Chase in the hands of Ben Harvey.
The young jockey then guided Fennor Cross to a win on Merseyside six days ago in the £75,000 William Hill Handicap Hurdle.
McConnell is enjoying the campaign and said: “It’s been good so far. Obviously, the winners at Cheltenham and Aintree have been the highlight. You dream of these things and, when they happen, you are pinching yourself a little bit.
“But, in other ways, it needed to happen if we are trying to progress more. I want to keep going forward, get some graded winners, a Grade 1 as well. All in all, I’m very happy with how things are going.”
McConnell is, of course, a regular throughout the year in Scotland with a flow of runners at venues such as Perth, Kelso and Musselburgh. Ayr has also yielded success with the logistics of travel handy for his base as he explained: “It is only probably five hours from my yard to the racecourse door to door.
“It’s very convenient, it’s a good and fair track and you get looked after so well. There is also some high-quality racing, so it has everything you want.”
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