Hurricane Fly will make his eagerly-anticipated return to the racecourse on Sunday as the Willie Mullins-trained phenomenon heads to Leopardstown to try and retain his Irish Champion Hurdle and the Co. Carlow inmate is a 4/7 shot with Paddy Power to lift the Grade One crown.
Simply unbeatable last term, the eight-year-old has missed some engagements this campaign as Mullins has not been entirely happy with the gelding’s performances on the gallops, but he has blown away the cobwebs and is all set to line up for the 2m contest on Sunday.
His demolition of a top class field at the Cheltenham Festival in the Champion Hurdle saw him cement his place at the pinnacle of the hurdling division and if he can replicate the form he showed last season then he will certainly be tough to beat and will head back to Prestbury Park a short-priced favourite to bag back-to-back Champion Hurdle crowns.
The main danger to Hurricane Fly appears to be Dermot Weld’s Unaccompanied, who is second favourite with Paddy Power at 4/1. Last seen sprinting clear of Thousand Stars in the Istabraq Hurdle over the Christmas period, the five-year-old mare certainly showed she has a blistering turn of foot to trouble Hurricane Fly and if he underperforms then Unaccompanied will definitely be knocking at the door.
Receiving a weight for sex allowance from her male adversaries, Weld’s raider will obviously need to improve from that win over the festive period, but if Davy Russell can utilise her turn of pace and try and get Hurricane Fly off the bridle then will be a major opponent to the odds-on jolly.
Mullins will hand Thousand Stars another tilt at Unaccompanied and he will be looking to record the sort of performance he showed when romping away to glory in the Morgiana Hurdle earlier in the season. Ruby Walsh could possibly have had Thousand Stars nearer to the pace in the aforementioned Istabraq contest and with stamina not an issue the 5/1 shot could set the pace and try and stretch his four rivals.
Jessica Harrington’s Oscars Well (9/1 Paddy Power) was comfortably beaten in the Istabraq Hurdle and it is difficult to see him being able to alter the form with both Unaccompanied and Thousand Star. However, he is another with proven stamina and could be another pace angle to the race as he looks to run the kick out of some of the speedier rivals.
Kalann (100/1) finished ahead of Oscars Well in the Grade Two WKD Hurdle last time out, but will be a lot worse off on the ratings at the weekend and should be completely outclassed in a race that should see Hurricane Fly be too classy for his rivals and cement his place at the head of the 2012 Champion Hurdle betting.
4/7 Hurricane Fly
4/1 Unaccompanied
5/1 Thousand Stars
9/1 Oscars Well
100/1 Kalann
Odds Supplied by PaddyPower.com, with best odds guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse racing.
Posted: Friday, 27th January 2012
Author: Steve Chambo
Tags: irish champion hurdle, hurricane fly, willie mullins, leopardstown, paddypower,
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