The New One and Faugheen miles clear of the pack

There are plenty, it seems, who think the bookmakers overreacted to Faugheen’s smooth success at Ascot last Saturday and that having him as the 9-4 favourite for the Champion Hurdle is far too tight.

As one who has no interest in ante-post betting, it’s hard enough to find a winner on the day, any day, then such odds would obviously hold no great attraction.

But, that said, I certainly would not like to be laying him at much bigger, nor would you want to be offering The New One at much more than the 7-2 currently available.

Assuming they remain sound, and that is always the main problem when it comes to this type of betting, then the pair are surely far and away the most likely winners.

Look at the horses who are behind the duo in the betting and you will immediately struggle to make a solid case for any of them.

Faugheen has come a long way in twelve months. This time last year, he was a 1-9 shot when winning an egg and spoon race at Navan.

That was a prelude to him going to Limerick at Christmas, where he enjoyed another relatively soft touch, justifying odds of 8-13.

Basically, of course, you might have expected him to head to Leopardstown, but Willie Mullins’ softly-softly approach was later to reap a rich dividend.

Faugheen won over two miles and five at the Cheltenham festival, in spectacular fashion, and then Mullins pulled another rabbit out of the hat when dropping him down to two miles, stunning just about everyone, I think, at the Punchestown festival.

Faugheen proceeded to reveal an explosive blend of speed and stamina to score by 12 lengths and had Champion Hurdle candidate written all over him.

He was as near to a certainty at Ascot as you could get, having plenty in hand of the opposition on ratings.

Faugheen was only asked, throughout the entire race, to do the bare minimum by Ruby Walsh and accomplished his task with effortless ease.

What I especially like about the horse is his jumping. When he isn’t right at an obstacle, he’s clever and when meeting one on the perfect stride there is a terrific spring to him.

The New One was a desperately unlucky loser of the Champion Hurdle in March, being badly hampered when ill-fated Our Conor fell at the third. That he was able to finish third, after flying up the final hill, was very much to his credit.

He has often been dogged by indifferent jumping in the past, but it was well nigh perfect when winning at Haydock on Saturday.

To my way of thinking The New One and Faugheen stand head and shoulders over everything else in the Champion Hurdle right now.

Anyone else surprised, at least even mildly, that a couple of horses didn’t join Mount Corkish Girl on the sidelines, following last weekend’s racing?

I know the world and its mother have been raving all week about Vautour’s debut over fences at Navan on Sunday-and rightly so.

He gave a superb exhibition of jumping, but what I found interesting, watching the contest back in detail, was the number of horses in the race that were falling over themselves to make sure they didn’t get anywhere near Willie Mullins’ potential superstar. When did schooling in public become okay?

And then at Gowran Park last Saturday, it was a case of some more of the same, in the beginners chase won by Don Poli from Wounded Warrior.

Have a look at it again, with particular emphasis on what is going on as the field head out into the country for the last time. It was like watching two races.

And, of course, there was much to note at Thurles on Thursday in the beginners chase eventually won by Mr Fiftyone, with the stewards seemingly powerless to act, with several horses enjoying a public school.

It brought to mind what a starter is supposed to have said when getting an Irish race away many years ago.

He reportedly uttered the following words: “Triers at the front and non-triers at the back.’’

Right how many odds-on shots has Willie Mullins saddled in Ireland since November 16, last Sunday week?

Well starting at Cork that Sunday, he had two, Sempre Medici (1-4) and Black Hercules (1-6).

Two days later, at Wexford, there were two more, Measureofmydreams (2-9) and Vroum Vroum Mag (8-11).

The following day, at Fairyhouse, feast your eyes on this lot, Aklan (5-6), Outlander (4-9), Shaneshill (2-11) and Arkwrisht (8-13).

And after that we had Bellshill (4-11), at Thurles, Tell Us More (1-5), Douvan (8-15) and Ballycasey (4-6), at Gowran Park, and then Milsean (2-11) and Vautour (2-11) at Navan, to go with two more at Thurles on Thursday, Un de Sceaux (1-8) and Clondaw Court (1-2 ).

In seven racing days, Mullins was responsible for no less than 16 odds-on shots, some of them massively so.

The multi-talented trainer can’t be blamed for storming miles clear of everyone else, but it doesn’t half make the game almost totally lopsided.

Things can only improve, you would hope, but right now we have to be forgiven for thinking it really is a case of roll on the flat!