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HURRICANE FLY has suffered a setback and will miss the Grade 1 Leopardstown Golf December Festival Hurdle on December 29 and is "a major doubt" for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle according to trainer Willie Mullins.
Mullins said on Tuesday evening: "We weren’t happy with Hurricane Fly over the weekend and we were a lot less happy with him today.
"He has a sprained suspensoryligament and Leopardstown is definitely out of the question. There also has to be a major doubt about him making the Champion Hurdle."
Hurricane Fly was disputing favouritism with Solwhit for next Tuesday’s Grade 1 and was 11-2 for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.The five-year-old won three Grade 1 novice hurdles last season and was ante-post favourite for the Williamhill.com Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham before he was forced to miss the Festival because of a splint problem.
This is poor stuff from the Mullins yard…..2 Festivals he has missed now it looks like. Very Disappointing for all Irish Fans
Agreed,i hate to see horses injured,particularly ones that we haven"t seen the best of!
B0ll0cks anyway. That’s some kick in the stones for the yard and everyone connected to the horse.
Looks like Go Native and the mare will be our only realistic Champion Hurdle horses. I still don’t think Phillip will be tempted.
HURRICANE FLY has suffered a setback and will miss the Grade 1 Leopardstown Golf December Festival Hurdle on December 29 and is "a major doubt" for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle according to trainer Willie Mullins.
Mullins said on Tuesday evening: "We weren’t happy with Hurricane Fly over the weekend and we were a lot less happy with him today.
"He has a sprained suspensoryligament and Leopardstown is definitely out of the question. There also has to be a major doubt about him making the Champion Hurdle."
Hurricane Fly was disputing favouritism with Solwhit for next Tuesday’s Grade 1 and was 11-2 for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.The five-year-old won three Grade 1 novice hurdles last season and was ante-post favourite for the Williamhill.com Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham before he was forced to miss the Festival because of a splint problem.
This is poor stuff from the Mullins yard…..2 Festivals he has missed now it looks like. Very Disappointing for all Irish Fans
It’s sad news, but how is it Mullins fault? He’s obviously an unsound horse.
Value Is EverythingB0ll0cks anyway. That’s some kick in the stones for the yard and everyone connected to the horse.
[b:zmu7pytf]Looks like Go Native and the mare will be our only realistic Champion Hurdle horses.I still don’t think Phillip will be tempted.
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i think he’d be more tempted than yesterday, and if the bin f***s up again over xmas the temptation will get stronger
You’re mad to write off Solwhit on the strength of the Newcastle run, IC. He is still a player.
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Binocular may not have to FU if Starluck runs. Travels well, has probably more toe than Binocular and if there’s no Gallop we could get a repeat of what Go Native did at Newcastle.
I’ve tried to look at it from a "If I owned Dunguib" point of view and find it difficult to decide what I would do.
On one hand I think he’s a high class horse who potentially could be one of the all time greats but on the other hand I know the Champion Hurdle is a million miles away from anything he has ever experienced.
I could see him hacking up but I can also see him being completely taken of his feet, making a couple of really bad blunders and finishing tailed off.
Fenton got all excited because he jumped the last 2 hurdles really well last time he ran..That’s not a normal reaction and obviously he still has worries in that department and thinks back to how bad he jumped when he first schooled him.
I think knowing that the Champion Hurdle is like no other race and how easily he could find himself in trouble he’ll be too scared or too wise to take the chance. There’s no stud value here only prize money and gambling away the Supreme money that looks there for the taking isn’t something they may want to risk.
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You’re mad to write off Solwhit on the strength of the Newcastle run, IC. He is still a player.
Mad to write of any horse after that farce…….except Go Native who wouldn’t win a Champion Hurdle if he started yesterday
Cannot be right to run a brilliant horse like Dunguib against experienced and classy hurdlers this early. You could blunt his future when ,barring one or two ( Loosen my Load ) he has a clear run in ,to learn more about the trade,in the Supreme. Cannot believe Fenton would go with this. The game is hurdling at pace,serious pace. He`s not done that yet.
Agree with Grassy,Solwhit looks the pick but Bin is far from out of it.
Surely Quevega is a massive back to lay at 33’s for the Champion?
The main reason she wasn’t going to run was because the yard had Hurricane Fly – would make the Mares Hurdle easy pickings for Voler La Vadette (provided she doesn’t make herself ineligible by winning the Festival Hurdle at Christmas).
You’re mad to write off Solwhit on the strength of the Newcastle run, IC. He is still a player.
I would strongly agree with you there Grasshopper. Solwhit would have been least suited to the way the race turned out at Newcastle but still managed to finish in front of Binocular. A strong even pace at Cheltenham with the ground no better than good to soft and I think he is the one to beat.
You’re mad to write off Solwhit on the strength of the Newcastle run, IC. He is still a player.
I think he’ll need plenty of cut to be in the shake up Grassy and he’s unlikely to get it. I know he won at Liverpool on quick ground but most of the principals in that race bombed and it was 2m4. I’d rather be with Go Native and the mare at the current prices given the likely going.
Championship pace and a testing 2m is what he needs, and what he will get, IC. He has to be in the shake-up, imo.
I’d be surprised if he had enough pace on decent ground but nothing would please me more to see Charles Byrnes and Davy win a Champion Hurdle. He’s not for me at 6/1 though – likely to be shorter after next Tuesday as well.
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The Newcastle race has got people wring off horses left right and centre.
Looking back on the race it wasn’t on Binocular’s agenda to run there. When they discovered Punjabi wasn’t going to make it all of a sudden Binocular is running. I don’t care who the trainer is the horse can’t possibly have been 100% or anywhere near it. XMAS PANTO:_ Ring Ring! Hi Nicky Frank Berry how’s Binny. Nicky: He’s fine coming on Frank: Could he run? Nicky: I suppose he could. Frank: Million quid at stake why don’t we run him and if he wins he wins and if he gets beat we’ve lost nothing? Nicky: (under breath)$#!<!!%?*+$ yes ok he’s your horse.
I doubt if that’s far off the mark and he’ll put all that behind him tomorrow.
With him the pace had probably very little to do with him running poorly but with Solwhit it would affect him more than any other horse in the race. He’s always been at his best when stamina is an issue. He may not even be at his best at 2 miles but 2miles at Cheltenham rain softened ground if they are going to beat him they better have 5 lengths on him going to the last.
He may not seem value at 6/1 but if he wins on Tuesday and stamina comes into play on Champion Hurdle day I think he could easily be a huge danger to all.
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