Victory and tragedy: Connell takes his swing in fortunes in typically philosophical fashion

There may be a dictum that frowns on cheering in the press box, but the sight of Martello Tower persevering in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Chase was guaranteed to curry quiet favour among those tasked with covering these events. 

In Adrian Heskin we had a young Irish jockey claiming his first Grade One at the festival, in Mags Mullins a maiden win at this gathering for an Irish trainer and in Barry Connell an owner claiming a first success here since the sad demise of Our Conor a year before.

Victory and tragedy have always made for compelling bedfellows so this seemed set for a tale of one man’s luck turning, but Connell’s philosophical take on his swing in fortunes didn’t exactly fit so snugly with that narrative.