THE well-named Great Attitude created a very favourable impression – and landed a major gamble in the process – when running out an easy winner of the opening Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle on his debut at Fairyhouse last Saturday.

The German-bred gelding is trained in Co Westmeath by Tom Cleary who, when later interviewed by Racing TV’s Kevin O’Ryan, credited his son Rory, who was standing by his side, for selecting the Guiliani bay. The now six-year-old was previously in the care of one-time event rider, Cormac Farrell, while he was ridden on Saturday by former Killinick Pony Clubber, Tiernan Power Roche.

After connections debated Great Attitude’s future, the interview ended with O’Ryan discussing the start of the flat season with Classic-winning jockey Rory, who is busy riding out at various yards throughout the country, including that of his dad, prepping two-year-olds for the breeze-up sales and racing on the all-weather surface at Dundalk.

And that’s besides the work involved with the sport horses he and wife Sarah are breeding/producing at their Watergrange Stables in Co Kildare. “We have a few nice show horses for this year,” Rory informed the Irish Horse World.

“There’s a lovely, big four-year-old Chillout gelding out of a Guidam mare, who owner Dick McElligott bought out of a field last year. He has done a little bit of hunting and we’re aiming him at the middleweight classes at Dublin. We got in another Chillout four-year-old recently for breaking and he could go for the small riding horse class and we’ve a smart home-bred four-year-old gelding by Tullabeg Fusion. We could also be going to Dublin with two home-bred three-year-old fillies for the in-hand classes, one by Golden Master and one by Lionwood Kinsales Lad.”