Champion Hurdle wide open after 2015 winner Faugheen suffers blow

WILLIE Mullins was dealt another hammer blow when stable stars Faugheen and Min were ruled out of next month's Cheltenham Festival.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Feb 2017, 20:23 BST
Updated 6th Feb 2017, 20:26 BST
Ruby Walsh celebrates winning the Christmas Hurdle on Faugheen with trainer Willie Mullins at Kempton Park in December 2015. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PARuby Walsh celebrates winning the Christmas Hurdle on Faugheen with trainer Willie Mullins at Kempton Park in December 2015. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA
Ruby Walsh celebrates winning the Christmas Hurdle on Faugheen with trainer Willie Mullins at Kempton Park in December 2015. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA

So dominant in recent years, Mullins is enduring a cursed campaign – the brilliant chaser Vautour was killed in freak circumstances last year while defending champion Annie Power had already been ruled out of the Champion Hurdle.

The latest setbacks leave this year’s Champion Hurdle even more wide open after an injury sustained by Faugheen, the 2015 winner, proved more serious and compounded the horse’s year-long absence from the racetrack.

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“We had hoped Faugheen had just tweaked a muscle, but we’ve had it checked out and it’s a stress fracture,” said Mullins whose Douvan remains on course for the Queen Mother Champion Chase after a facile win at Punchestown on Sunday.

“It’s a real shame with Faugheen, we needed everything to go right and obviously it hasn’t. There are options at Fairyhouse and Punchestown for Min, hopefully he makes one of them, while we’ll try to get Faugheen ready for Punchestown.”

Min was a leading fancy for the Arkle Trophy, the two mile championship race for novice steeplechasers. His defection leaves the Nicky Henderson-trained Altior the odds-on favourite.

However, it increases the likelihood that Malton’s Malcolm Jefferson saddles Cloudy Dream or stablemate Waiting Patiently, while fellow North Yorkshire trainer Brian Ellison has an intriguing contender in Forest Bihan.

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Top conditional Harry Cobden will continue to get plenty of opportunities for champion trainer Paul Nicholls despite riding out his claim at Musselburgh on Saturday.

Cobden, 18, partnered Diego Du Charmil to win the Scottish County Hurdle, meaning he has to join the professional ranks.

Nicholls said: “He has done extremely well to reach that landmark so quickly for one so young and nothing will change now that he is unable to claim an allowance. Harry will continue to ride plenty of horses as he joins our roster of talented senior jockeys.”

Ask Paddy followed up his wide-margin success at Catterick last Friday under Callum Bewley with an equally emphatic triumph at Sedgefield yesterday.

The horse was ridden at the County Durham track by Jonathan England whose wife Sam, a dual purpose trainer, has now saddled three winners in the past week from her Guiseley stables.