Ricci banking on Faugheen to turn fortunes around
Owner rich ricci is hoping Faugheen can spearhead a change of fortune for his string at this weekend’s inaugural Dublin racing Festival.
The two-day Leopardstown fixture features the Irish Champion Hurdle on Saturday and Irish Gold Cup the following day. It also boasts seven Grade One races and prize-money of £1.3million.
But the significance of the new fixture for ricci and his willie Mullins-trained string extends beyond cash, with some of his biggest names bidding to get their season back on course.
Faugheen’s eclipse in the ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting, when he was pulled up by jockey Paul Townend, remains a mystery as does consistent Djakadam pulling up in the Christmas Chase.
In a campaign where star chaser Douvan has again been hit by injury problems — ricci (right) rates him at 50-50 to make it to the Cheltenham Festival — the owner is also looking for improved efforts from two-mile chaser Min and confirmation his faith in novice hurdler Sharjah is not misplaced. The latter fell at the last when looking sure to win at the doom-laden Christmas meeting. ricci said: ‘It is a hugely important meeting for us with the likes of Faugheen, Djakadam, Min and Sharjah running. They all have questions to answer and all need to go well next weekend. ‘Have we had any ups? we have had plenty of downs! ‘It has been a disappointing season and very unsatisfactory. It puts a lot of pressure on these big meetings.
‘we will know where we stand for the Cheltenham Festival after the weekend.
‘You just have to hope Faugheen’s run was one of those things. I would not have wanted to be hiding under a rock at willie’s in the last few weeks. He has looked at everything.
‘Faugheen seems in fine nick. He has a couple of pieces of work to do this week but we will go there hoping he runs a big race.
‘we can’t seem to find anything to explain why the horses ran badly. Maybe willie was just going through a patch. I don’t know.
‘with Djakadam, I draw some comfort, as they do from us, that Sizing John also ran so badly only 18 days after they both ran on very heavy ground at Punchestown in the John Durkan Memorial Chase. willie had said Djakadam was not as fit going into the race. I am just hoping the race had taken its toll on him and he bounces back.
‘He needs to show us something. You’d hate to think he was the other side of the mountain but maybe he is.
‘with Sharjah, jockey Patrick Mullins said he had so much horse underneath him when he fell. That was why he was so frustrated. But Sharjah has got to go and do it now.’ TrAIner Jamie Osborne says he still believes there is a big race in Toast of new York. The seven-year-old was last of 12 behind Gun runner in Saturday’s Pegasus world Cup at Gulfstream Park’s dirt track in Florida.