The Road to the 2017 Champion Hurdle

No-one connected to the horse unfortunately. Johnny Ward & Kevin Blake were pretty adamant that a strongly run CH would see him at his best.
 
From RTE.ie

Willie Mullins will wait until during the week before deciding which of his big guns he will send into battle in next Sunday's Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
The champion trainer won the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One for a third time with Arctic Fire 12 months ago and is responsible for 12 of the 26 entries ahead of Tuesday's confirmation stage.
The potential Mullins representatives include the last two winners of the Champion Hurdle, Faugheen and Annie Power.
Both were ruled out of the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown earlier this month, with Faugheen having suffered a bruised foot while Annie Power had worked unsatisfactorily in the lead-up to the race.
"We'll see how Annie Power and the other horses work during the week before we decide on what runs (in the Hatton's Grace)," said Mullins.

Other contenders for the Closutton handler include brilliant mare Vroum Vroum Mag and Yorkhill.
Mullins is still considering the best route for the latter this season.
"Yorkhill is ready to come out but we haven't decided yet whether he will go over fences or stay hurdling," the trainer added.
 
somethings up at Willie's yard, Faugheen always picks up late injures so I'm really worried if we'll ever see him on a racetrack again. He thrives on racing, he needs as many races as possible to get him ready and yet almost halfway through the season and he's still not out. I think Willie keeps him entered just to hide whats going on in his yard. He never liked the horse.
 
Took to Shaneshill early on.

Remember Katie Walsh calling him 'harder than Chinese sums' and there is that element to him.

Never took to fences but, by christ, you give him a job to do, any race, anywhere, any time and he''ll be there, boots blacked, ready for duty.

Get your money's worth with Shaneshill.
 
Aughex said:
somethings up at Willie's yard, Faugheen always picks up late injures so I'm really worried if we'll ever see him on a racetrack again. He thrives on racing, he needs as many races as possible to get him ready and yet almost halfway through the season and he's still not out. I think Willie keeps him entered just to hide whats going on in his yard. He never liked the horse.
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mid-late november has been his re-appearance date every season for the last 3. willie admitted he got a stone bruise. wouldn't worry too much.
 
ok lets say its nonsense, can you tell me did Faugheen made any of the festivals last season? Was I wrong then?? Or the previous season why did he missed his own country CH ? Or the previous season when he was given 3 races in space of a month and not took part in any grade 1s until he was slotted in the Neptune by Briar Hill AB and Vautour Supreme. F was the last to think about, Mullins said wherever the others go F goes in the remaining race. This season the same, wherever Annie goes F goes in the remaining. Its a clear pattern here and I won't even bring the other million small signs that he simply hates the horse(breeder tells Mullins he was meant for GC, instead he sends him the minimum trip over hurdles..)

Its ridiculous to predict that it might happen again? Morgiana, Fighting Fifth all avoided with the pretext of bruised foot, why hasn't his handler John Codd confirmed this? Lets see if this continues, lets see him finally put in a race this season then you can say its ridiculous..
 
Aughex said:
somethings up at Willie's yard, Faugheen always picks up late injures so I'm really worried if we'll ever see him on a racetrack again. He thrives on racing, he needs as many races as possible to get him ready and yet almost halfway through the season and he's still not out. I think Willie keeps him entered just to hide whats going on in his yard. He never liked the horse.
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hahaha... He never liked the horse? Its true Mullins has a dartboard with pictures of Faugheen on it...trainers hate have CH winners.
 
Digger said:
hahaha... He never liked the horse? Its true Mullins has a dartboard with pictures of Faugheen on it...trainers hate have CH winners.
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Its more about F taking the lowest order of precedence is what I'm hitting at, and he's refusing to race him more often, why is that? He thrives and improves with running so why is he letting him home to watch the grass grow instead of taking him racing. Lets see him out this week but I highly doubt it..
 
Aughex, this theory you have about Faugheen is such drivel, it's verging on blatant trolling.

Go and have a lie-doon in a dark room, with a cold flannel on yer noggin, FFS.
 
Surprised anyone even bothered replying to Aughex's comment

Back to racing - Given that JP already has 2 for the world hurdle, connections will surely aim Yanworth at the Bula if they fancy a crack at the champion
 
Still say the Annie Power Faugheen double double is a good bet ap for Cheltenham I do however believe it will be CH Annie and World Hurdle Faugheen as the former, no how you look at it, never quite seen the trip out the last time she tried and has proved her best trip to be 2m-2m4f which is perfect for a CH horse with that extra half mile ability guaranteed to get you up the hill
 
Not a bad sub to have should one or more get injured but Mullins love to win the mares so you'd have to think that is where she'll end up all being well
 
Mullins' stranglehold on the mares could be under serious threat this year from one of his former horses. Vroum Vroum Mag vs Apples Jade could really lift this race but VVM could literally go anywhere.

and I'd be wary about putting Annie in any ante post bets until she's been seen on a racecourse. "Winning" a weak edition of the mares with no prep run is fine but the Champion is another thing, albeit she'd had what could only be described as a one racecourse gallop last year.

The 3/1 right now about Faugheen could look a huge price come March but with such uncertainty over key runnners there are arguably 27 better races to bet on than this one if anybody's desperate to add to their ante post books.
 
I think Aughex has a point but he's gone the wrong way about making it.

In my opinion the thing with Faugheen is that Mullins has only ever seen him as a hurdler. His jumping as a novice was at a standard that he was never considered to make the step up to novice chasing.

His back form has showed that he has had the speed to win top class bumpers whilst having the stamina to win a point to point and a G3 hurdle with other wins over the intermediate trip. It's probably due to his adaptability over trip and his tendency to pick up little niggles that he takes up engagements that the other Ricci hurdlers don't. After all he's already a champion hurdle winner. They will be hoping they can get Annie to double up and Faugheen to take the stayers. Both horses to go in the history books for different reasons. Annie has tried the stayers and arguably didn't get home.

I think if you asked Willie he would say he's privileged to have the horse. He may regret the fact they've never got him over fences but he certainly won't dislike a horse that can win 2 or 3 G1s a year and 150k+.
 
Sure Dan but I can also put it another way. Does anyone remember back in school when a teacher had couple of favs in the class and no matter how good you were you could never really impress or get close to her/him. Mullins has a bunch of pupils and Faugheen best interests will always come last. Btw, RR interview with Chapman couple of weeks ago. He said that Mullins all of a sudden during the summer of 2014 told him that F'll go novice chasing(after they agreed that he'll stay hurdling) so RR had a big fight with him and eventually Mullins changed his mind. I think this only aggravated the situation I describe above.
 
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