Nolan can dream of big things to come with Sandor Clegane

Five-year-old looked relentless in victory at Punchestown.

Paul Nolan looks to have an exciting prospect on his hands in the shape of impressive Punchestown winner Sandor Clegane.

The gelding showed promise during his bumper career, winning on debut before finishing second behind subsequent Champion Bumper hero Facile Vega at Leopardstown.

His hurdling debut came at Galway in October, where he finished the runner-up behind Three Card Brag, with Noel Meade’s subsequent winner Nucky Johnson behind them in third.

Stepped up five furlongs in on Tuesday, he completely dominated from the off when striding to a straightforward 12-length victory under Sean O’Keeffe.

“We were very pleased, it was his second run (over hurdles) and at Galway he was over an inadequate trip and he ran respectably,” Nolan said.

“We hadn’t got a gallop on grass into him before that so he maybe wasn’t 100 per cent fit, but we were still very pleased.

“The race that he ran in worked out very well, the race he ran in on (Tuesday) probably wasn’t a marvellous contest as it turned out. All he could do was beat what was there and it was just the manner in which he did it that was very encouraging.

“He jumped well, he travelled well and he showed a very nice turn of foot over that trip. That would lead you to believe that this is a horse with loads of stamina, it’s nice to see a horse with a gear like that at the end of a race.”

A better calibre of race awaits the five-year-old, with Nolan now looking to plot a route to a novice hurdle contest at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

“Hopefully he can step it up to Graded level, that’s basically what we’re hoping to do, to try to reach that level,” he said.

“It’s nice that it seems we have something of that level. He certainly deserves an entry anyway, in the better novice races.

“He’s an athletic-looking frame, I’d say he’s only a little bit shy of 17 hands so he’s a big, raw horse. He’s only five, we’re hoping that he’ll improve with every run and we’ll just have to work out our little plan for him now.

“Normally it’s when you start making plans that it seems to go wrong! But you have to have a plan and the aim is to try to get to Cheltenham, we’ll try to find a route to take. Please God he remains well, but we’re aiming for Prestbury Park in March.”

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