Tony McCoy aims to be a Leopardstown spoilsport with Jezki this Sunday by upsetting Hurricane Fly's attempt on a perfect 10 and history at the Dublin track in the BHP Irish Champion Hurdle.
Hurricane Fly is unbeaten in nine Leopardstown starts – all at Grade One level – and is an odds-on favourite to surpass even the mighty Istabraq with a fifth win in a row in Ireland's most prestigious hurdle prize.
Istabraq completed four in a row between 1998 and 2001, but Hurricane Fly’s claims to be the outstanding hurdler in modern Irish racing would be boosted by going one better in this weekend’s highlight.
Willie Mullins has indicated Hurricane Fly could be joined in the big race by stable companions Arctic Fire and Diakali but "the Fly's" big threat is again likely to be Jezki, the current Cheltenham Champion Hurdle title holder, who has been beaten by his old rival on the three occasions they've clashed at Leopardstown.
Jezki was last of four in the 2014 BHP before comprehensively turning the tables on Hurricane Fly at Cheltenham, but Jessica Harrington’s star got closer than ever before at Leopardstown when losing out by just half a length in an epic Christmas clash three weeks ago.
Jezki’s owner JP McManus has had his colours carried to Irish Champion Hurdle glory on half a dozen occasions in all but most famously of all by Istabraq. However his retained jockey reckons Jezki has it all to do to prevent the record books being rewritten on Sunday.
Fantastic
“Hurricane Fly is a fantastic horse. It would help Jezki’s chance if the weather was to dry a little bit and the ground got a bit better, but the way things are at the moment that’s unlikely to happen,” McCoy said. “But you never know, and hopefully we can get the better of him this time.”
Ground conditions at Leopardstown’s Boylesports fixture last weekend were better than expected, and both McCoy and Harrington know what is required to win the race having won with Brave Inca (2006) and Macs Joy (2005) respectively.
Ahead of the five-day forfeit stage, Mullins has indicated the Cheltenham favourite Faugheen is unlikely to impose on Hurricane Fly’s home turf.
“I imagine Arctic Fire will come: three of them are being worked before the race, and we’ll see what happens by the middle of the week.”
Hurricane Fly is currently as short as 4-6 favourite to secure a 22nd top-flight success in all on Sunday, with Jezki on 6-4 and Arctic Fire a 14-1 shot.
Sunday will also be a critical stage in the career of Mullins’s Cheltenham Arkle favourite Un De Sceaux, who will attempt Grade 1 company for the first time in Leopardstown’s Frank Ward Arkle Trophy.
The only blemish on the French import’s nine-race career to date came on his fencing debut with a fall at Thurles in November, but Un De Sceaux made up for it subsequently at Fairyhouse.
Un De Sceaux is likely to come up against a proven top-flight performer in Clarcam, who beat Vautour in the St Stephen’s Day feature at Leopardstown.
