Nichols Canyon cashes in to stun Faugheen at Punchestown
Those were just some of the questions racing fans were left pondering after Nichols Canyon felled his previously unbeaten stable companion, Faugheen, in the Grade One StanJames.com Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown yesterday.
David Mullins, riding Nichols Canyon for his uncle, Willie Mullins, set out to make all the running and there was no hiding place early as he set a strong pace, with the long odds-on favourite sitting in behind, some three lengths off the speed.
The leader, winner of four top level hurdles in his novice season and third behind Windsor Park in the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, gave a bold sight in front, jumping well in the main, including when long at the third-last.
On previous form, onlookers may have been forgiven for believing he was a sitting duck for the 1-6 favourite but, as they approached the turn into the straight, it was becoming apparent the long odds-on shot was going to have to work to get by his stable companion.
A Listed winner and Group 3 placed on the level, Nichols Canyon quickened off the last bend and had the favourite in trouble racing down to the second-last.
Eased going into the flight, he opened the door for Faugheen but that rival hung under pressure as Ruby Walsh gave maximum assistance from the saddle.
In a thoroughly merited victory, Nichols Canyon, owned by Andrea and Graham Wylie, pulled out all the stops to deny the effort of the favourite by half a length, with Wicklow Brave, just a length and a quarter further back, completing a Mullins 1-2-3.
A clearly surprised winning trainer said: “That was completely different to how they worked on Tuesday, when Faugheen left Nichols for dead, but maybe he left his race behind then too.
“Nichols put in a huge performance. He won four Grade One hurdles last year, and is not a back-number by any means. He looks a Champion Hurdle horse now, and that race probably identified what way we’ll have to go with him, rather than making a Stayers’ Hurdle horse out of him.
“He did it the hard way, went out in front and jumped fantastically. Maybe he has just improved more (than Faugheen).
“He was under the radar a bit last year because he was a second-string of ours, but still came out and won those four Grade Ones. We obviously just used the wrong tactics at Cheltenham, which took the gloss off him, but that was our fault.”
Of the runner-up, who Walsh reported to have hung throughout, Mullins added: “Until Faugheen tells me there’s something wrong with him, that’s the result and I’m not making excuses.
“He was a little disappointing. He hung under pressure and that’s what I’m worried about, but sometimes when they’re tired they hang. But, maybe he just met a good horse.”
Referring a potential knock-on effect with regard to future plans, Mullins said: “We’ll go for the same races as planned but they’ll probably just have to take each other on. If I can keep them apart I will, but I want to see how they all come out of it before making solid plans.”
It was a first Grade One for Mullins who insisted victory for Nichols Canyon was no fluke.
He said: “He settled well enough and every time I gave him a squeeze at a hurdle he was there for me.
“He was really professional. He possibly would have won five Grade Ones last season had he not unseated, any horse like that has to have a chance in any race.
“Not at all (a fluke), I let him pop the last and he picked up again from the back of it.”
Bookmakers reacted to the result by cutting Nichols Canyon to 6-1 for the Champion Hurdle (as short as 4-1), while Faugheen’s odds drifted to 15-8.
