Irish Champion Hurdle likely to be definitive trial for Cheltenham
There is no doubt that the savage firepower at his disposal has provided some very uncompetitive racing at times so far this campaign.
But Leopardstown told us, as did Fairyhouse on December 1, that lots of other trainers have nice horses to toss into the mix as well.
That Fairyhouse meeting had three Grade 1 races on its card and Mullins didn’t win any of them. There were seven Grade 1’s at Leopardstown. Mullins won two of them, with Hurricane Fly and Zaidpour, although he had no runner in the Topaz Novice Chase.
Nevertheless, he might easily have emerged with just a single success at that level, because you would have thought Solwhit, but for meeting with a setback, would have beaten Zaidpour.
Mullins provided three warm orders in Grade 1’s in Champagne Fever, Arvika Ligeonniere and Moyle Park and they were well beaten.
Certainly, there is no way one can envisage Arvika Ligeonniere or Moyle Park as possible Cheltenham winners. Champagne Fever is a completely different story, because he has gone to the festival on two occasions and delivered both times. But there are pundits who believe he has to dominate a race to be seen at his best and, if taken on, has a tendency to fold. It’s a theory that will, hopefully, be further tested before March.
Anyway, many are back on track when it comes to Hurricane Fly now and, I suppose, he couldn’t have done much more in the Ryanair Hurdle.
Mind you there has been no rush among the bookmakers to shorten him up significantly for the Champion Hurdle, nor have punters made any great effort to get involved either.
That’s because his performance at Leopardstown could probably be best described as workmanlike. There wasn’t any great wow factor, but Hurricane Fly did what he does best and just got the job done.
He beat Jezki by two and a half lengths and, given that Mullins has clearly left plenty to work on, there is no reason to believe the placings can be reversed any time soon.
And yet there is the nagging feeling that last Sunday’s race was less than satisfactory. The word at Leopardstown was that Hurricane Fly might lack a little for fitness and when his stable companion, Thousand Stars, a horse well capable of going a swinging gallop, dawdled off in front then you immediately began to think that the Mullins plan was for a tactical contest, where speed, rather than stamina, was going to be the deciding factor.
But the McManus camp seemed prepared for just about every possibility and Captain Cee Bee, who had never made the running in his life, bounded up to go clear heading to the second flight.
The other four runners, however, then largely ignored him and, when the race was over, you just got the feeling you’d like to see Hurricane Fly, Jezki and Our Conor doing it all again.
Chances are we are going to get our wish in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown later this month and the picture will be a lot clearer then.
It wasn’t Tony McCoy’s finest hour aboard Jezki. He found all the trouble that was going, although Jezki wouldn’t have won in any case.
In contrast, Danny Mullins, who has his critics - loads of them - emerged with reputation enhanced on Our Conor.
He engaged in some splendid race riding and simply refused to allow McCoy up his inside in the straight.
The stewards, to their credit, didn’t think an inquiry was even warranted and they were dead right too.
Leopardstown revealed that the shocking display by Bobs Worth, on his seasonal debut at Haydock, was simply a blip.
Unlike the Ryanair Hurdle, the Lexus Chase was totally satisfying and you don’t have to be any great genius now to work out that whatever beats Bobs Worth will surely win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
First Lieutenant ran a cracker to finish a highly creditable runner up for the second year in a row and he has become a real puzzle.
It was interesting to note, though, the theory put forward by his owner, Michael O’Leary, in a television interview.
His words of wisdom came before the Lexus was run, so it certainly wasn’t a case of him seeking a job as an after dinner speaker.
O’Leary said he believed that First Lieutenant was a better horse travelling left-handed. And watching the smooth way he moved through this race, in contrast to a particularly laboured effort at Down Royal previously, O’Leary may well have cracked it.
First Lieutenant has run well right-handed in the past, of course, but there is no getting away from the fact his best efforts have been at the likes of Leopardstown, Cheltenham, Newbury and Aintree.
Also at Leopardstown, Charles Byrnes’ Sea Light smiled contentedly at the handicapper, as he waltzed away with two handicaps, on Thursday and Sunday.
The handicapper put him up 13lbs after Thursday and, you might have thought, that would be enough to deal with both successes.
But no he has since tossed another 4lbs in Sea Light’s direction to make it 17lbs in total.
