Fly record comes at a canter

Only the second horse in history to regain the Champion Hurdle crown when he prevailed at Cheltenham in March, Ruby Walsh was made to work in the saddle by his sister Katie, who was aboard the runner-up Marito.

Yet, in winning Ireland’s prestigious Morgania Hurdle for a second successive year, albeit against a moderate field, Hurricane Fly was eclipsing the 16 Group One wins of American champion John Henry and the now retired Kauto Star, who had so much success with Walsh.

Champion Hurdles are not won in November, but the one-and-a-quarter length win for the 1-16 odds-on favourite left many racegoers feeling non-plussed.

Willie Mullins’s stable star will face far sterner tests when he comes up against a new generation of hurdlers headed by The New One, Our Conor and My Tent Or Years.

“A world record is a once in a lifetime thing and I’m delighted Hurricane Fly achieved it today,” said Mullins.

“It was one of his less impressive performances and he will need to improve a good bit from the race to get back to his best, but he won and that’s all that matters. He was probably heavier than he’s ever been, so that improvement should be there.

“We’ll keep things simple and go the same route as last season. The Grade One Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 29 will be next.”

The victory was the fourth leg of a five-timer for Walsh, who is now based in Ireland.

In normal circumstances, he would have been at Cheltenham where his great friend and rival, AP McCoy provided yet another masterclass aboard the temperamental Kid Cassidy to take the listed Shloer Chase from odds-on favourite. Sire Du Grugy. He timed his winning run to perfection.

Yet it is odds against Kid Cassidy being a potential challenger to his illustrious stablemate Sprinter Sacre, the two-mile champion chaser.

The final day of Cheltenham’s Open meeting was lit up by victories for two smart hurdling prospects from David Pipe’s yard.

First up was The Liquidator who oozed class under Tom Scudamore when running away with the Sky Bet Supreme Trial Novices Hurdle.

The winner of the bumper at the Punchestown Festival, the horse appears to have taken to hurdles with effortless ease.

Pipe and Scudamore were then seen to even better effect when Dell’ Arca, an exciting French import who cost nearly £300,000, outbattled his rivals to win the feature Greatwood Hurdle after a protracted battle with Sametegal.

“It’s fantastic, one of the best races I’ve ridden in. The fourth race of his life, what a credit to the horse,” said Scudamore who could not be more praiseworthy of the four-year-old’s guts.

He said it was “extraordinary” that such an inexperienced horse could beat some of the country’s top handicappers.

The question now is how Dell’ Arca reacts after this gutsy battle – his first race in Britain – and the inevitable hike in the handicap that will now follow.

This was a day in which the previously out-of-sorts Pipe stable returned to form with a four-timer – Home Run took the opening race for conditional riders, while Red Sherlock took the concluding Bumper under Timmy Murphy, and in the colours of the late David Johnson.

Journeyman jockey Richie McLernon emerged from AP McCoy’s shadow to land Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup on Johns Spirit.

Working as No 2 to the 18-time champion at Jonjo O’Neill’s yard, the 27-year-old proved that he is a more than able deputy on the 7-1 chance.

McLernon was quick to praise the influence of McCoy for his advice and encouragement.

“He is an inspiration to us all,” said the winning rider.

“It’s not a difficult job being understudy to AP. He couldn’t do for me,” said McLernon whose Sunnyhill Boy was beaten by a nose by Neptune Collonges in the 2012 National.

“The other day when AP rode his 4,000th winner, we were all in the owners’ room and the cheer that went up was unbelievable. I’m just proud to be part of it.”

O’Neill’s second victory in the race, his Jackdaws Castle is owned by JP McManus whose Colour Squadron – trained by Philip Hobbs – finished second.

“We beat the landlord!” quipped O’Neill before describing McLernon as “a magic man” because of his dedication in a yard that has already recorded 91 winners this season, one more than the 
2012-13 campaign.

Credit should also go to Malcolm Jefferson’s Attaglance, who battled on to finish fourth under Brian Hughes.

Running from six pounds out of the handicap, Malton-based Jefferson could step his 2012 Cheltenham Festival winner up in trip to three miles – if the ground is not too soft.

Smith treble leads the way for Yorkshire

SUE Smith led the way at Wetherby with an eyecatching treble on a day when Yorkshire horses won six out of seven races.

After the pony-sized Mwaleshi took the two-mile novice chase under Jonathan England, Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania survived a blunder at the third last to take the feature chase on No Planning.

Yet perhaps the most impressive of the Smith triumvirate was Blakemount in the concluding novice hurdle – the five-year-old had so much in hand that Mania struggled to ease down.

There was a glint in the eye of Smith’s husband, Harvey, to suggest that this former Irish point-to-pointer could be a special horse in the making.

As for the trainer, she said: “Blakemount has a lovely attitude, apart from when he’s being clipped.”

Zaplamation and young conditional Dean Pratt edged Zafranagar on the line to take the handicap hurdle for John Quinn’s stable.

Flicka Williams, now trained at Norton by Tony Coyle, completed a double for Dougie Costello who had landed the opener on Tim Easterby’s Run Ructions Run.

The result added to the pain of Malton’s Danny Cook who broke his leg in the most unusual of circumstances on Friday when he was kicked by a stray hoof at the start of the Bumper at Newcastle.

He actually rode in the race, and was sixth on Brian Ellison’s Serenity Now, before realising the seriousness of his injury.

“I wasn’t in too much pain,” said Cook, who hopes to return to action in January.