Nichols Canyon can sneak what is now a very competitive affair
When news emerged last week that Faugheen would be unable to defend his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham, it was hard to shake the sense of deflation.
For the festival to be robbed of one of its star attractions so close to the off seems especially cruel, given it seemed all but certain Faugheen was going to turn the race into a procession.
His most recent victory suggested defeat at Cheltenham was out of the question, Faugheen trouncing stablemate Arctic Fire by 15 lengths in the Irish Champion Hurdle.
Nichols Canyon, the only horse to have lowered Faugheen’s colours, was a further 13 lengths back.
Electrifying was the word used by trainer Willie Mullins to describe Faugheen’s display at Leopardstown and it was as apt as any superlative.
There are only two positives to draw from Faugheen’s injury.
Firstly, and most importantly, the belief he will make a full recovery. Secondly, the fact his absence unquestionably makes the race a more competitive affair.
It seemed oddly fitting that Annie Power, also owned by Rich Ricci, should make her return from injury just minutes after the Faugheen news broke.
Victory at Punchestown seemed an inevitability and she duly obliged before being installed as the new Champion Hurdle favourite.
Such a response from the bookies was predictable and understandable but, brilliant though she is, Annie Power faces a stiff task filling the considerable void left by her stablemate.
The fact she will need to be supplemented for the race highlights the fact the Champion Hurdle is an afterthought for Annie Power.
She will arrive at Cheltenham having not run in any of the traditional Champion Hurdle trials.
That’s an unusual situation and a considerable training challenge even for a trainer with Mullins’ gifts.
She will also turn up on the back of a second successive injury-disrupted season, with her sole run, last Wednesday, seeing her beat rivals rated upwards of 30lb inferior to her. Hardly the ideal preparation.
Then there’s her Cheltenham record.
She may be regarded in some quarters as the best mare since Dawn Run, but she’s zero from two at Prestbury Park having gone down narrowly to More Of That in the 2014 World Hurdle, before falling at the last with the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at her mercy 11 months ago.
Excuses can be made for both defeats, but her task in the Champion Hurdle is bigger than that she faced in those races.
Another concern is Annie Power’s tendency to race keenly, with Ruby Walsh reporting the hood she wore at Punchestown had no effect for her enthusiasm.
At Cheltenham, she could face another headstrong and rarely seen individual in 2014 runner-up My Tent Or Yours and it’s possible those two could light each other up early in the race.
That would compromise the chances of both and could open the door to an opponent ridden off the pace.
With Arctic Fire also out of the race as of yesterday, the focus is back on Nichols Canyon. His defeat of Faugheen at Punchestown shows he has the ability to take the honours.
