Faugheen returns to go for Gold
FAUGHEEN looks set to continue his glittering career, with Patrick Mullins revealing the “fire still burns very brightly” in the 12-year-old and a tilt at next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup is on the cards.
Faugheen brought the house down at Limerick and Leopardstown last season when scoring at the highest level over fences, and it’s all-systems-go for ‘The Machine’ to add another chapter to a remarkable CV.
The 2015 Champion Hurdle hero is in fine fettle, with Mullins, assistant trainer to his father Willie, not entertaining any talk of retirement for the 11-time Grade One winner ahead of the new jumps season.
“He’s back in, he’s 100 per cent. John
Codd who looks after him and rides him out is absolutely over the moon with him. He’s pulling his arms out so I’d imagine we’ll train him as normal,” Mullins said yesterday.
“If he shows that he still has all the enthusiasm and ability of last year, we’ll go again and if he doesn’t, he doesn’t owe anyone anything.
“On what he did last year, he won two Grade Ones and he was placed in Cheltenham and on a different day he could have been closer. I’d look at his form rather than his age and that’s what he’s showing us at home.”
There are many possible targets for the popular chaser – having started his racing career in April of 2012 – and tackling the Cheltenham blue riband as a 13-year-old next March would be “the dream” for Mullins.
“It’s a possibility, we’ll have to take it step by step. I don’t know where Willie is going to go for his first run. Hopefully there are a few extra second-season novice chases this year and one of those could be an option,” the champion amateur jockey said.
“That (the Gold Cup) would be the dream, it would be incredible. He could be a Ryanair (Chase) horse and there are plenty of good prizes outside of Cheltenham as well, so at the moment, all options are open.
“We’ve had him since he’s been four, we’ve had him eight years. John Codd has looked after him and ridden him all that time, so he knows him better than anyone. He’ll be able to tell us straight away if he thinks the fire is gone, but at the moment the fire is still burning very brightly.”