Defending champion Hurricane Fly looking surefire bet

The reigning champion, he says, is far more relaxed than 12 months ago – and his chances are further boosted by Cheltenham officials continuing to water the course to ensure conditions are not unduly fast on day one of the National Hunt Festival.

This was clearly evident in the Cotswolds mist yesterday when Hurricane Fly, with his ears pricked, appeared to be a picture of contentment as he enjoyed a gentle canter with Paul Townend, Ireland’s champion jockey.

He may be the winner of 10 Grade One races, but Hurricane Fly has a fragile temperament for such a great horse.

His demeanour, however, was in total contrast to the corresponding day 12 months ago when Ruby Walsh struggled to settle the eight-year-old during a crucial final piece of work.

Walsh was absent yesterday – he was schooling Gold Cup legend Kauto Star ahead of a sixth successive tilt at steeplechasing’s blue riband race.

But, make no mistake, Walsh holds Hurricane Fly in a similarly high regard – the gelding has won his last seven races in an unbeaten run stretching back to November 2009 and has the profile to become a multiple Champion Hurdle winner following Irish legends like Monksfield, Istabraq and, more recently, Hardy Eustace.

One of the ‘banker’ bets of the entire meeting, victory today will potentially leave Ireland on course to eclipse the record 13 triumphs that its trainers achieved last year.

More significantly, it would see Walsh extend his phenomenal record of success at the meeting. The Festival’s most successful rider, 15 of his 32 triumphs have come in the last three seasons and his big-race record is unrivalled.

Yet the irony of today’s feature is that Walsh rarely schools Hurricane Fly; that is left to Townend, last season’s champion jockey in Ireland who is the No 2 rider at the Mullins yard.

It is an arrangement that suits the stable. Townend, 21, is still learning his trade and deputises for Walsh when the record-breaker is riding in Britain for Paul Nicholls, or sidelined through injury.

It also enables Mullins to receive consistent feedback on the horse’s well-being every day from a respected work rider who has also partnered the eight-year-old to five victories.

Today Townend partners the Mullins second string Zaidpour, who has won his last four races.

“Anything can happen in racing and I’ll certainly give it my best shot,” said the young rider who is regarded by many as Walsh’s natural successor.

“I suspect though that, in the end, I’ll have to settle for the rear view of a horse I ride out every day, the brilliant Hurricane Fly.”

That opinion was confirmed by Mullins whose stable star made a breathtaking return to action in January’s Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, ploughing through the mud to land a popular victory under Walsh.

“He travelled over well, he rode out nicely and seems in nice form,” he said after a debrief with a very content Townend in the Cheltenham fog.

“He seems much more relaxed on the gallop over here than he was last year. They are watering the track at the moment, which I think is a good thing.

“They are calling the ground good, good to soft in places, but after walking the track (yesterday), I’d say there is a lot of good.

“With the way the temperatures are – it’s a cloudless day (yesterday) – that probably prompted them to water and I’m glad to see it. If it’s softer it’s safer.”

The Irish champion trainer is unsure whether the classy French recruit has improved since his comeback run at Leopardstown.

“I think he’s just holding his form and I’m happy with that,” he added.

Connections of Binocular are expecting a big run from the 2010 winner, who was unable to defend his crown 12 months ago.

The JP McManus-owned eight-year-old landed the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton before supplementing that with victory in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton last month.

“He jumped very well at Wincanton. At times he has never given the impression he’s the same horse that won the Champion Hurdle,” said champion jockey AP McCoy.

“His run at Kempton was better but he gave me a better feel at Wincanton. I think he’s got a long way to go to beat Hurricane Fly; he’s an exceptional horse who has won 10 Grade Ones and never looked like getting beat.”

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is responsible for four of the 10 runners as he seeks to win this race for the first time.

Zarkandar, who lifted the Triumph Hurdle last year, is the pick of his quartet thanks to victory in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury while leading Irish trainer Jessica Harrington believes the expected fast pace will suit Oscars Well.

The seven-year-old was runner-up to Hurricane Fly in the Irish Champion Hurdle and would have won the Neptune last year but for a mistake at the last.

But, realistically, they will have to go like the wind to blow away a hurricane who will become one of Ireland’s all-time greats if he flies home up Cheltenham’s punishing final hill.