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Wouldnt say its sad to see him beaten, yes he was injury stricken, but hes got through it and won a grade 1 when everything seemingly looked finished, was 2nd in a grade 1 today (albeit a non contest) im just happy he made it back, hes achieved alot (not what he would have without the injury) still a joy to see him jump round. Still has posibillities over 3m. I applaud the riccis for the lengths and £ theyv spent to let us all see him keep going…
I think 3 miles is the end target for the season before this race so wouldn’t be to hard on Faugheen on today’s efforts.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I think he has every chance in the stayers hurdle, even at 50% of his best; just, as so often in racing, lamenting what might have been….. I’m old enough to remember watching Killiney’s fatal fall down thw back stretch at Ascot, and hearing on the radio about Golden Cygnet. Tho Dawn Run’s demise was probably the worst, because it was so needless. So I guess s long as Faugheen retires in good health I’ll be happy
He’ll have been quite unfit yesterday, the different is he can’t get away with that anymore. He used to more often that not. 3 miles is very much needed these days too!
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!I’m not too disheartened about faugheen. Sharjah has shown that he is a pretty decent animal, rated 155 and has the advantage of being very race fit. Faugheen as he has got older and on the evidence of his previous run, he needs further. Yesterdays race was a good pipe opener and sharpener for him ahead of what should be a 2.5/3 mile campaign. I’d prefer too see Mullins run him more often as he seems to get unfit quite easily with long breaks.
Having said he needs 3 miles, I’d actually run him in the Christmas hurdle at kempton again simply for speed practice and race fitness ahead of bigger targets in the spring over 3 miles
Didn’t see the race- what was he like in the paddock? Remember Ruby saying (when he was beaten by Nichols Canyon I think) that he was “so fat they could hardly get the saddle on”.
Have to say I was somewhat surprised that they even started him off over 2m after his 3m performance last time at Punchestown. In the scheme of things its was an ok run against a race fit flat bred horse on unusually quick ground for Ireland in November.
I would have thought that a campaign at 3m with him taking in races over here like the one at Newbury’s Ladbrokes meeting, the Long Walk at Ascot would have been the obvious options leading into the Stayers Hurdle at the Festival. The 3m hurdle division looks average at best and there for the taking for him.
There was also some talk about him going chasing which kind of had me thinking back to his novice hurdle days (when before his victory in the Neptune) I watched him hack up to win his prep over 3m in heavy ground at Limerick. After Cheltenham that year, I found it odd that they decided not to go novice chasing with him the following season (it was the speedier Vautour who won the Supreme over 2m that would instead) as I felt Faugheen would potentially have been much more likely to be a Gold Cup contender especially bearing in mind that he also won a point to point race over 3m as a 4 yr old.
That would be one question that I would love to put both to Mullins & Ricci to find out if there was a specific reason as to why they didn’t go over fences with him.
Would also love to know their calculation LD73? Was Vautour a better fencer at home? was it the surprising speed Faugheen showed in the Grade 1 novice hurdle at Punchestown? Faugheen just looked every inch a chaser to me.
What did every make of WPM’s comments after the race. I heard quite a lot of fallout about them and how they were very critical of Ruby.
Personally, i don’t see what else Ruby was to do, he’s been quoted in the past as saying he thinks Faugheen has lost that proper acceleration he had. He’d probably have lost the race if he took a pull when Tombstone kept challenging and considering he’s on the horse that stays 3miles, he probably thought he’d be able to sustain the gallop better than Tombstone, and that gave him the best chance of winning, rather than waiting and racing Sharjah for a turn of foot
.There’s no doubt Ruby hasn’t had the perfect return, but it’s clear he’s taking his return slowly, picking and choosing rides.
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!
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