Critics left silenced by return of legends

Hurricane Fly’s victory in the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown was the most impressive. The two-time Cheltenham hero and his jockey Ruby Walsh had more than two lengths in hand over Jezki and Our Conor, Ireland’s top two novices from last season, as the Willie Mullins-trained champion won a world record 18th race at Group One level.

Ten on New Year’s Day, Hurricane Fly’s victory over a quality field was far more emphatic than than lacklustre comeback win at Punchestown last month. It also extended the horse’s winning sequence to eight races.

“He’ll be back here at the end of January for the Irish Champion Hurdle, and then it will be Cheltenham. He’s coming along and is going to improve again,” said Mullins who is Ireland’s record-breaking champion trainer. “He’s a fantastic horse and a horse of a generation.”

Yet it was Nicky Henderson, Britain’s champion trainer, who was the most relieved man after his Cheltenham hero Bobs Worth produced a gutsy performance to beat Ireland’s top chasers in the Lexus Chase on Saturday.

In doing so, Bobs Worth atoned for his desperately disappointing comeback run in Haydock’s Betfair Chase last month and compensated Henderson for a string of below-par performances from his stable stars that culminated with Sprinter Sacre being pulled up at Kempton on Friday.

It remains to be seen whether the Queen Mother Champion Chase hero will recover in time from an irregular heartbeat to defend his title in March, though yesterday’s update did offer some encouragement.

Henderson said the horse’s heartbeat had appeared to rectify itself and Sprinter Sacre had returned to his Lambourn stables from equine cardiologist Celia Marr’s practice in Newmarket.

Further tests will be carried out later this week and the trainer said: “It would be speculation to say he won’t run again this season. We’re talking about cantering him again on Friday.

“It’s got to be a step at a time with him and we will obviously know more in the coming weeks as he is back in light exercise.”

As for Bobs Worth, the horse – owned by The Not Afraid Partnership – looked beaten in the Lexus before his jockey Barry Geraghty galvanised a winning run out of the champion who will not race again before his Gold Cup defence in March.

“It was just wonderful to see him back on winning form,” said a visibly relieved Henderson. “I would have thought that not to run again before Cheltenham would be my gut instinct, but we will have to see how he is in 10 days time.

“It just shows you what an up-and-down sport racing is. The owners lost Chatterbox last week and after Haydock it looked as though Bobs Worth might be in a bit of trouble, but then he came back yesterday and it was a thoroughly deserved win for them.”

Veteran Tidal Bay, who defied top weight to finish a close third to Mountainous in the Coral Welsh National, now has the Crabbies Grand National as his target, according to his delighted trainer Paul Nicholls who described Saturday’s run as “awesome”.