It probably takes a lot to leave Willie Mullins bewildered. The Irish champion trainer has a yard brimming with top-class talent and he will head to the Cheltenham Festival a short price to send out the most winners.
Yet bafflement is the feeling Mullins is left with regarding the lack of recognition for two-time Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly, who is bidding to make history at the Festival this year.
Despite a record 22 Grade One wins over hurdles, Hurricane Fly continues to have his doubters, which largely seem to be based on his two defeats in the Champion Hurdle.
Though Hurricane Fly won the race in 2011 and 2013, he was third to Rock On Ruby in 2012 and then fourth to Jezki in last year’s renewal. His subsequent defeat by Jezki at Punchestown also led to suggestions that it could be time for Hurricane Fly to head into retirement.
Thankfully, Mullins has wrought improvement out of Hurricane Fly this season and he has beaten Jezki on all three runs, starting with his reappearance at Punchestown. He followed that up with a determined success in the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas before capitalising on Jezki’s last-flight mishap to win the Irish Champion Hurdle. In truth, Hurricane Fly would probably still have won as he stretched his perfect record at Leopardstown to 10 wins from as many runs.
Perhaps it is his undefeated record at Leopardstown which goes some way to explaining why he does not garner as many plaudits when it comes to his Cheltenham Festival record. But to be a two-time winner at the Festival is a laudable achievement in itself.
The question now is whether he can win the Champion Hurdle for a third time. If he does, it would surely prompt even his biggest detractors to give him a pat on the back.
The Cheltenham betting news has seen Mullins describe Hurricane Fly as the each-way bet of the week and he thinks the son of Montjeu is more than capable of winning.
Stablemate Faugheen is his biggest obstacle to overcome, with Ruby Walsh due to make a late decision on which horse he will ride. There is also last year’s third The New One and Irish Champion Hurdle second Arctic Fire, who is also trained by Mullins, to consider, in addition to Jezki.
Throw in the fact that only Hatton’s Grace and Sea Pigeon have won the Champion Hurdle at the age of 11, and Hurricane Fly certainly has a sizeable task on his hand.
Much could depend on the state of the going come the opening day of the Festival. Mullins is keen to see the word ‘soft’ in the going description and the recent wet weather means that is currently the case. A dry spell is predicted in the few days leading up to the Festival, but the Champion Hurdle being staged on the opening day of the meeting could at least see the ground riding good to soft.
But, irrespective of what happens on March 10, there is no logical reason why Hurricane Fly has not already received the recognition which Mullins feels the horse deserves. Just like retiring champion jockey Tony McCoy is rightly lauded for the talent, hard work, determination and attitude which have made him a record-breaker, Hurricane Fly should be recognised for being the equine equivalent.
