Hurricane Fly heads a select field of just four runners for tomorrow’s Dobbins Madigans Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown. Willie Mullins’ charge lost his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham in March but bounced back to winning form at Punchestown in April.
While the champion Irish trainer has not enjoyed an ideal start to the campaign, with a few horses coughing in his yard, he is satisfied Hurricane Fly is fit enough to do himself justice.
“Hurricane Fly worked well the other day and I’m happy with him,” said Mullins. “I’d imagine Christmas time (would be his next run after the weekend) but we’ll try to take one day at a time. We’re slow enough getting out this season. We’re getting into gear very slowly now.
“I’m hoping they stay right. A few were coughing. We had to stop for about a fortnight. I just didn’t want to work too many of the horses. That held us up a little bit but, fortunately, it seemed to be the fillies that got sick. One or two of the horses did, but I think that’s all gone out of the yard now.”
The Noel Meade-trained Go Native leads the opposition in the Grade One heat, with Dermot Weld’s classy dual-purpose runner Unaccompanied also in the field. The Eddie Harty-trained Captain Cee Bee completes the line-up after his recent Grade Two success at Tipperary.
