Faugheen woe
THE SCOUT JUST when Willie Mullins thought his wretched week could not get any worse, it did when Faugheen, his 2015 Champion Hurdle winner, was dramatically pulled up in the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown. Sent off the 1-6 favourite, Faugheen, only beaten once in his 14 races for Mullins, was expected to take the contest in his stride. But after setting off in his customary front-running role, Paul Towned was soon sending out distress signals when his mount dropped through the field and was pulled up after jumping the third-last hurdle. Mullins said: “At the moment Faugheen is sound. He pulled up sound and the vets have passed him fine.
“He’s not abnormal and not distressed. I’m sure something will arise. He might be incubating a cold or something like that, but at the moment we don’t have any evidence of anything.”
Rich Ricci, who owns the gelding with his wife Susannah, said: “Paul said he pulled him up because he just wasn’t firing. “He’s in the horse ambulance going back to the yard, but he’s not distressed. Paul just pulled him up because he wasn’t going.
“Some of Willie’s horses have been in and out all week. Hopefully, it’s something that shows itself and we have a horse we can get ready for Cheltenham and fight another day with.”
To say it has been a tough week for Mullins and Ricci is an understatement. On Thursday Mullins lost his star staying hurdler Nichols Canyon, who ran in the Graham Wylie silks, after he shattered his shoulder at Leopardstown. Ironically, Nichols Canyon was the only horse to have beaten Faugheen over hurdles. Earlier in the week Mullins and Ricci suffered a series of unexpected defeats.
Min, an odds-on favourite, passed the post in front in Wednesday’s Paddy’s Rewards Chase, only to lose the race in the stewards’ room, while on the same afternoon Sharjah crashed out at the final flight when looking the winner of the