On form Buveur D’Air
The seven-year-old gelding makes it back-to-back wins and a seventh Champion Hurdle victory for his trainer Nicky Henderson
The gelding retains his Champion Hurdle crown
NICKY HENDERSON was worried before the Unibet Champion Hurdle that his title holder, Buveur D’Air, had won all three starts this season with such contemptuous ease that the lack of a proper race might just be his undoing.
His fear proved unfounded, but only just, and though his victory was not as clear cut as his first a year ago, Buveur D’Air — more workmanlike this time than flashy — and Barry Geraghty got the job done, beating Melon a neck in a thrilling finish to get the Festival up and running.
Though it was a thriller, initial reaction was that it was not as good a race as the year before. However, Melon may go on to prove that a premature conclusion because, 12 months earlier, he had been the big Mullins talking horse coming into the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
After Melon was beaten by the recalcitrant Labiak here and by Cilaos Emery at Punchestown, expectations appeared to be downgraded. He returned to Cheltenham in December to finish a beaten favourite behind My Tent Or Yours in the International Hurdle and on his last start in Ireland he had failed to perform in the Irish Champion Hurdle.
However, by some margin, this was a career best for Melon, and when he cruised through on the inside of Faugheen at the second last, with the bookmakers rooting for him, an upset looked to be on the cards.
Henderson, winning a seventh Champion Hurdle, looked a little shell-shocked after the victory — a combination of the narrowness of victory and a tricky run-up to the Festival, which had seen Altior develop a foot infection the day before and Top Notch, On The Blind Side, We Have A Dream and My Tent Or Yours, all ruled out for one reason or another.
“This hasn’t been easy and yesterday was as bad as it gets,” he said referring to Altior’s brief lameness. “The last weeks of preparation aren’t a lot of fun. You know something’s waiting round the corner to bite you. Everybody has had it and a lot of public horses are missing.”
He added: “That was a good race, a proper race. They went some gallop and you wouldn’t believe they’d keep it up even once the front two had dropped off. Melon looked very strong but Barry said he was always happy.
“Buveur D’Air has been winning his races by huge distances all winter. It was the first time he’s had a race this winter and that was worrying me. The ground was never a worry. Barry said he didn’t blow up but he had a good blow because he hasn’t had to knuckle down before,” he added.
“He’s a young horse and has done everything right, even if it was meant to be a penalty kick and he got a battle. He was a head down and when Barry said, ‘Go,’ he put his head down. It’s a big relief — he was expected to collect and he did.”
Mullins, whose Faugheen was beaten 22 lengths into sixth, was delighted with Melon. “Faugheen probably wants longer these days,” he said. “It was a terrific performance from Melon and it vindicated what we thought of him. He’s a horse who is going to improve. He’ll be better next year so we might keep him hurdling rather than going chasing.”