Emotional Ricci loses cool at Faugheen flop
‘Machine’ breaks down as Mullins at a loss to explain favourite’s defeat
FLAMBOYANT owner Rich Ricci publicly questioned his commitment to National Hunt racing after Faugheen’s shock defeat at Leopardstown yesterday. ‘Why am I doing this? It makes me wonder if I’ve better things to spend my money on,’ an emotional Ricci said after Faugheen pulled up in the Ryanair Hurdle. ‘It’s been one helluva week. Faugheen was a disaster,’ he added, before looking ahead. ‘It feels like a long winter and Cheltenham is a long way away. If you told me this season would be worse than last year I would have said absolutely not,’ the US-born financier continued. The eclipse of Faugheen prompted another act of upheaval in the Cheltenham ante-post market. Ricci’s Douvan was ruled out of the Champion Chase a fortnight ago, Thursday saw the death of Stayers Hurdle champion Nichols Canyon, and the stunning eclipse of Gold Cup winner Sizing John. Faugheen had been 2/1 to retain his Champion Hurdle title but some firms have now ruled him out after he pulled up behind shock winner Mick Jazz (14/1). ‘It’s a mystery,’ said trainer Willie Mullins, who saddled the Ricci-owned Let’s Dance to victory yesterday and also landed the bumper for the third time in four days.
AFESTIVAL of sustained shock and awe ended with the unexpected sight of the horse known as ‘The Machine’ grinding to a spluttering halt.
When Faugheen was pulled up by Paul Townend with three furlongs to go in the Ryanair Hurdle yesterday, it was the latest set-back in a series of body-blows for punters, specifically those who slavishly follow the Willie Mullins team.
Mullins felt he had his Closutton cohorts primed to inflict damage but the expected winter wonderland at both Limerick and Leopardstown didn’t unfold as anticipated, even though ten winners over four days is a half-decent return.
‘We’ve had better Christmases,’ acknowledged Mullins after racing.
At least Faugheen returned safely to his stable last night, unlike the ill-fated Nichols Canyon, and in the coming days Mullins will assess if his hurdling star, almost 10, still has a future at the elite level.
Even on three good legs, Faugheen should have had enough class to bury an ordinary field in the Ryanair Hurdle but when the alarm bells started to ring after the third last flight, Townend acted smartly and pulled up the 2/11 shot.
Faugheen was walked around by Townend for a few minutes, free of stress, before being loaded into a horse-box and taken away for a check-up, where he was found to be sound.
Further tests will follow but it’s too early to say if, or when, his shimmering brilliance will next illuminate a racecourse.
Mullins’ mood as darkness enveloped Foxrock was sanguine. ‘He was giving us all the right signals at home but just wasn’t himself today. I felt in the parade ring he looked a little cold in his coat and it’s possible he may be incubating something.
‘We’ll look for a reason to explain what happened and go from there. Paul [Townend] was never happy with him and did the right thing pulling him up. He’s not distressed, and we’ll get our own vet to assess him when we get back.’
In contrast, flamboyant owner Rich Ricci was quite emotional at the eclipse of his 2015 Champion Hurdle winner, perhaps understandably so, as many of his horses didn’t fire this week.
Min was touched off in Wednesday’s grade one chase, Sharjah tumbled at the last when looking a winner in the grade one hurdle the same day, and Djakadam ran ‘no race’ in the Christmas Chase on Thursday.
Even victory for Let’s Dance yesterday didn’t rock Ricci’s world.
‘Hopefully, Faugheen is ok and will be back to fight another day but this has been a challenging week, very disappointing,’ said the Londonbased financier with the natty style in suits and shades
‘If you told me this season would be worse than last year
I would have said absolutely not. It already feels like a long winter and Cheltenham is far away.’
At one point in the milieu of the parade ring, Ricci publicly questioned his commitment to National Hunt racing which has yielded a slew of high profile winners, including the Cheltenham Festival where his pink silks have been first past the post in 14 races.
On reflection, Ricci may take a more pragmatic view in the cold light of day.
The Dublin Festival is five weeks away, Cheltenham is almost 10 — there is plenty of time for the Festival jigsaw to fall into place and no better trainer than Mullins to have his props where he wants them.
Even so, Faugheen’s future must be a worry. Off the track for almost two years before a stunning return last month, another lay-off could be a bridge too far for this enigmatic equine talent.
Pointedly, no horse aged ten or over has won the Champion Hurdle since Sea Pigeon in 1981.
As Mullins picked up two minor prizes with Let’s Dance, owned by Ricci, and then Minella Encore in the closing Bumper, Gordon Elliott seized the grade one honours for the second day running.
First, Shattered Love (10/1) splintered a few reputations in an eventful Neville Hotels Novice Chase and then Mick Jazz (14/1), co-owned by Elliott, seized on Faugheen’s foibles to scoop the Ryanair Hurdle.
Shattered Love gave Mark Walsh his first winner for Gigginstown House as she outstayed stablemate Jury Duty in a race which saw favourite Monalee crash out and then bring down Rathvinden.
‘She’s a big honest mare who handled the ground well,’ said Elliott, adding ‘the mares are doing well for us this week.’
Elliott felt Mick Jazz was ‘running to make some prize money’ but when Davy Russell got to work on the six-year-old approaching the last flight, he responded gamely to wear down Cilaos Emery in the push for the post.
‘We bought him to have a crack at the Grand National in the ‘States but we’ll have an entry now at the Champion Hurdle and see how it goes,’ said Elliott, who scooped three of the Festival’s seven grade ones.
In contrast, Mullins, so often the laird of Leopardstown, had to make do with one.