RACING:HURRICANE FLY will have the opportunity to put together back- to-back Champion Hurdle victories at Cheltenham in six weeks time but he remains – just – slightly inferior to the legendary Istabraq in terms of official ratings.
Despite a hugely-impressive return to action in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the weekend, Hurricane Fly has been left unchanged by Ireland’s National Hunt handicapper on a mark of 173 that he originally picked up at Punchestown last season.
Trainer Willie Mullins said on Sunday he reckoned Hurricane Fly’s Leopardstown success was a career-best performance but the Turf Club’s senior handicapper, Noel O’Brien, disagreed.
“He went into the race rated 16lb superior to Oscars Well and he has beaten that horse by 6½ lengths,” O’Brien said, “so although Hurricane Fly was visually impressive, the figures do make sense.”
Significantly, Hurricane Fly’s jockey Ruby Walsh has indicated he feels a couple of Sunday’s rivals ran below form, pointing to last May’s Punchestown success as a performance to match up to Leopardstown.
“I probably was surprised [he won by that far]. I don’t think Thousand Stars ran as good as he can run. They went a really good gallop and Paul [Townend] gave him a breather down the back but he just didn’t quicken again, which is unlike him,” the former champion jockey said.
“Obviously Unaccompanied didn’t fire, she ran considerably worse than she did at Christmas.”
Walsh and Mullins feel there could be more to come from Hurricane Fly when he lines up at Cheltenham with the benefit of a first start of the season under his belt.
“He really surprised me how well he did it yesterday,” Mullins said yesterday, after giving his star performer a clean bill of health. “He was very quiet in the parade ring beforehand, but maybe he’s just maturing. He was very good in the race and I hope he can improve but, having said that, if I can get him to Cheltenham in the same sort of form I think I’d be happy enough.”
Jessica Harrington’s horses bounced back to form with a vengeance at the weekend and she is prepared to take another crack at Hurricane Fly at Cheltenham with Oscars Well, without expecting to beat him.
“Oscars Well is improving with every run,” Harrington said yesterday. “If you look at his form from last season, he did exactly the same. He got beaten first time out and then won his maiden and what was probably a weak Grade One at Navan. It wasn’t until February that he really came to himself and it seems to be the same this time around.
“He didn’t like the ground either on Sunday, so it was a very good run to finish second to an incredible horse,” she added. “We said early in the season that we wouldn’t be able to beat Hurricane Fly, but I think going to Cheltenham on better ground, we could be placed. He ran well at Cheltenham last year so we know he likes the place.”
Plans are less clear for Unaccompanied, who started a well-backed second favourite for Sunday’s big race but never figured.
“I think the ground just got to her,” Stan Cosgrove, manager of the Moyglare Stud which owns the filly, said. Davy [Russell] said she was gurgling a bit in her throat for the last half-mile, but it was down to the ground. She’s only five and it was very hard work for her.
He added: “She doesn’t want hard ground, she likes a little bit of give, but she couldn’t handle that really heavy. She’s a filly with a lot of speed and couldn’t show it on Sunday.”
The Moyglare team will discuss possible Cheltenham plans with trainer Dermot Weld before deciding on a definite next start for the dual-purpose mare.
