SHEEHY FULL OF PRAISE FOR TURTLE ISLAND GELDING

11th December 2006

Trainer Eamonn ‘Dusty' Sheehy predicts a big future for the five-year-old Turtle Dubh (5g Turtle Island - Bobadil by Bob Back) after the son of Turtle Island ran out a stylish three and a half length winner of the Listed INH Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hurdle at Punchestown on his jumping debut to defeat odds-on favourite Leading Run.

Turtle Dubh, who was bred by Terry Behan, had won a Cork bumper on his racecourse debut by 20 lengths in January and had had only one other race before Sunday's success.

"We won this race with Justified and Kahuna and coming here I was quietly confident that Turtle Dubh might follow them," admitted Sheehy, who is now hoping to target his charge at the Cheltenham Festival. "I think he's a very good horse and we're hoping he could make a top-grade novice hurdler. I thought it was a very good run for his first time over hurdles.

"He could go for the G1 Paddypower.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 27 and if not, he'll have another run very early in January. But we're hoping to aim him at Cheltenham and I'd say he could be a G1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle type of horse."

Turtle Island is of course no stranger to top-level success on the Flat and over jumps with his best performers including Scolardy, winner of the G1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

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