Faugheen Stays Undefeated With Cheltenham Win

Unbeaten Faugheen ran his record to nine wins when leading in an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish for trainer Willie Mullins in the Stan James Champion Hurdle March 10, the feature event on opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

 

The 4/5 favorite with Racing Post in the eight-horse field for the £227,800 (US$343,130) race, Faugheen made all the pace and defeated Arctic Fire (20-1) by 1 1/2 lengths, while two-time Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly (8-1) checked in third, all trained by Irish-based Mullins.

 

Faugheen's victory was one of four on the seven-race card for Mullins, all group I events in National Hunt racing, and the third for Walsh.

 

Successful in the 2014 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, Faugheen was an impressive winner of the top-level Christmas Hurdle Dec. 26 at Kempton Park.

 

With Ruby Walsh aboard for the Champion Hurdle, the 7-year-old son of Germany clipped off a steady pace to the home turn, where last year's winner Jezki and The New One threatened from second and third, respectively, while Hurricane Fly and Arctic Fire loomed behind them. But once into the straight, Faugheen found another gear to secure the win.

 

Final time for the 2 1/16 miles race was 3:50.90 over eight hurdles.

 

"This is an incredible little horse, a fine horse," Walsh said of Faugheen after the victory. "He was awkward at the second last but pinged the last and saw it out well.

 

"He is definitely not slow and no one else wanted to make it, so I was only going to go my fractions in front—I wasn't going to go theirs. He's got such a good turn of foot though. This is probably the best feel I've ever had from him—it was certainly his biggest challenge facing all these good horses."

 

Talking about owner Rich Ricci's Faugheen, who was bred in Ireland by Dr. John Waldron from of the Accordion mare Miss Pickering, Mullins said: "He's young, he's improving, he's coming on and what can I say, he's got a long way to go to be as good as Hurricane Fly. 

 

"He probably won't jump a fence. When you've got a good hurdler like this there's no reason to go novice chasing."

 

Jezki finished fourth, followed by The New One, Kitten Rock, Bertimont, and Vaniteux to complete the order of finish.

 

Jezki, a final mount in the race for retiring champion jumps jockey Tony McCoy, is trained by Jessica Harrington, who said: "(Tony) was blaming himself, saying he took on (winner) Faugheen at the top of the hill, and in chasing the winner it probably cost him second or third and he finished fourth. He got to the winner's quarters and he just took off."

 

Mullins' four-win day at Cheltenham also included the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle with Douvan, the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase with Un De Sceaux, and the OLBG Mares' Hurdle (registered as the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle Race) with Glens Melody.