Menorah failure puzzles Johnson

MENORAH was Hurricane Fly’s closest challenger in the market for the Champion Hurdle but he showed none of his usual vigour when meeting the final hill and he eventually faded out of contention to finish a disappointing fifth.

Jockey Richard Johnson felt his mount, previously unbeaten in three runs at Cheltenham, was not at his best but was at a loss to explain the performance.

“He didn’t quite feel 100 per cent,” admitted Johnson. “The one thing he does is power up the hill but today he hasn’t and instead he has weakened, which isn’t him. He ran a decent race but perhaps wasn’t quite at his best.”