FAUGHEEN RULED OUT
Star to miss Champion Hurdle
ANNIE POWER is the new 2-1 favourite for the Champion Hurdle after trainer Willie Mullins delivered the shock news that stablemate and defending champion Faugheen is out of the race.
Mullins revealed that Faugheen has suffered a tendon injury shortly before Annie Power easily beat two inferior rivals in the Punchestown.com Mares’ Hurdle.
Faugheen had been as short as 1-4 favourite for the feature race of day one of the Festival on March 15.
Mullins still dominates the race — he also trains 11-4 second favourite Arctic Fire, the 2015 runner-up, and 4-1 third favourite Nichols Canyon.
But stable jockey Ruby Walsh could not hide his disappointment, describing the news as like ‘someone whipping the ace out of the pack and handing you the rest of the cards’.
Faugheen, owned by Rich Ricci and his wife Susannah, suffered the only defeat of his 13-race career when beaten by Nichols Canyon at Punchestown in November. But he had since shown that surprise result to be just a blip with emphatic victories in both Kempton’s Christmas Hurdle and last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, when Nichols Canyon was well beaten.
Faugheen’s training programme was being stepped up for Cheltenham when his injury surfaced.
Mullins said Faugheen’s injury was similar to one suffered by his dual Champion Hurdler Hurricane Fly during his career and the long-term prognosis was good.
The trainer said: ‘We had 28 days from yesterday to the Champion Hurdle and I said, “I’d better start doing a bit with him’’, and getting serious. He was just a little bit sore and our vet confirmed he had a small suspensory (injury). I didn’t want to risk going any further.’
Annie Power, herself injured earlier in the season and like Faugheen owned by the Riccis, has not been entered in the Champion Hurdle but can be supplemented on March 9 for a fee of £20,000.
After she beat Legacy Gold by sixand-a-half lengths on her first run since April, Mullins indicated that was probable. At last year’s Festival, Annie Power fell at the last when clear in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle.
Mullins can shuffle a pack which also includes another top- quality mare in Vroum Vroum Mag, who holds entries in both the Mares’ and World Hurdle. Mullins-trained horses still dominate day one with five antepost favourites. But it was Faugheen who exuded the air of invincibility in the Champion.
Sky Bet’s Michael Shinners described his scratching as ‘a huge blow to the race and the meeting’ but suddenly the chances of rivals The New One and My Tent Or Yours, due to run at Wincanton on Saturday, have improved considerably.