GOWRAN PARK REPORT:DUNGUIB THRUST himself firmly back into the spotlight with an impressive comeback success at Gowran on Saturday and Ireland now appears to have a pair of genuine contenders for the Stan James Champion Hurdle in three weeks time.
Hurricane Fly’s three Grade One victories this season undoubtedly make him the top Irish hope for Cheltenham glory but Dunguib’s defeat of Luska Lad in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle was as eye-catching statistically as it was visually.
Philip Fenton’s former bumper champion travelled strongly throughout but significantly wasn’t as headstrong as when he previously ran at Punchestown last April.
His jumping was also noticeably fluent once the pace increased in the three-horse race and there was a reassuring willingness to battle over the closing stages.
Beating the 159 rated Luska Lad by three and a half lengths when conceding weight puts him at a similar level to Hurricane Fly in handicapping terms and Fenton yesterday was predicting more to come.
“He’s absolutely A1 and he’ll freshen up for a couple of days. You couldn’t complain with that. It was just what the doctor ordered. He was under a cloud five weeks ago so I think it was quite a good performance,” he said.
“I have it in my head that he will come on leaps and bounds for the run. It has just sharpened him a bit and it was just what he wanted. The Champion is three weeks on Tuesday. He should be fine and he doesn’t need a great deal of work anyhow,” Fenton added.
Dunguib is now as low as 12 to 1 to complete a remarkable rehabilitation of a reputation that was tarnished in controversial circumstances at last year’s Cheltenham festival.
As an odds-on Irish banker in the Supreme, Dunguib’s third was hugely disappointing and resulted in plenty of blame and recrimination being thrown around, principally at his jockey Brian O’Connell.
But the complexion of that performance has changed utterly in the light of Menorah’s profile this season, as well as the fourth Oscar Whiskey, and hopes are increasing that Dunguib may yet justify the almost hysterical hopes invested in him at this time 12 months ago.
Luska Lad finished closer to Hurricane Fly in December than he did to Dunguib on Saturday and he will be aimed at the Aintree Hurdle with trainer John “Shark” Hanlon, reporting: “It was a great run and Dunguib is a class horse. We missed the second last and might have been nearer.”
Hurricane Fly remains on course for the Champion too although jockey arrangements for the big race probably won’t be sorted out until closer to the festival.
Paul Townend has ridden the Willie Mullins-trained star in all three of his starts this season but Ruby Walsh is due to return to race-riding in less than a fortnight after breaking his leg in November.
Mullins deflected questions about the jockey situation yesterday and said: “I don’t know what is going to happen, or who is going to be around. My focus is on getting the horses to Cheltenham.”
