Faugheen pulls out of festival
THE most one- sided Champion Hurdle in years became one of the most open yesterday when Faugheen was ruled out with a ligament injury.
The eight- year- old was a brilliant winner of the showpiece event on the opening day of last year’s Festival and last time out won the Irish Champion Hurdle just as impressively.
Little wonder he was as short as 1- 4 to follow up next month.
Instead of taking part, though, he will be convalescing at Willie Mullins’ stables.
“We were starting back his countdown to Cheltenham,” said Ireland’s champion trainer. “We had given him a nice easy time after Leopardstown and since we started back there was a little bit of soreness in his suspensory ligament. I gave him a few easy days and we went back at it again, and it fl ared up again yesterday which we confirmed this morning.
“It’s a small injury, but just bad timing, a bit like Hurricane Fly when he missed Cheltenham.
“The prognosis is very good but we will just call it quits for this season and hopefully come back as good as new next winter.
“We have a very good record with putting that type of injury back. It can always recur but, from what we can see on a scanner, it’s very slight It’s just come at the wrong time.”
Mullins still has a massive chance of winning the race as he has the fi rst three in the betting, but instead of having a racing certainty he would not know which one would win.
Faugheen’s rider Ruby Walsh said: “It’s like someone whipping the ace out of the pack and handing you the rest of the cards.
“The inevitable question is who will I switch to? Annie Power would get weight from last year’s runner- up Arctic Fire if she is supplemented and Nichols Canyon must have a great chance. I won’t be committing to that until I have to.”
David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “It’s a hammer- blow for punters. Faugheen was in all the ante- post accumulators. On the one hand there’s a degree of relief for bookies that the long- range liabilities are over but that is outweighed by the disappointment of the Festival losing its lead player.”
Ladbrokes’ Champion Hurdle odds: 2 Annie Power, 7- 2 Arctic Fire, 5 Nichols Canyon, 6 My Tent Or Yours, 6 Identity Thief, 10 The New One, 16 Camping Ground, Peace And Co, 25 bar.