Shabalko D’Herm justified the pre-race confidence that his connections had in him prior to his debut at Toomebridge on the opening day of the season, as having been well-supported in the market, he ran out an authoritative winner. Toomebridge is a sharp track which favours experience, particularly with the three downhill fences along the back straight often proving to be a notable challenge for inexperienced youngsters, but that was not the case for him, as racing from the front, he readily put the race to bed from the back of the penultimate fence, and swiftly extended clear of more experienced rivals. He appears to have a high cruising speed, clocking a time 12 seconds quicker than the average on the card, and he is a horse with the speed to excel at shorter trips under rules.