Faugheen lays down marker on two-mile debut at Punchestown

Punchestown round-up: Faugheen's performance in Punchestown's Herald Champion Novice Hurdle was of such transparent quality that trainer Willie Mullins may have been prompted into a change of plan.

After taking his unbeaten record to six in the Neptune at Cheltenham, Ireland’s all-conquering trainer had suggested he was more likely to be sent over fences next season, as he already has Vautour, Un De Sceaux and possibly the veteran Hurricane Fly for the Champion Hurdle.

Faugheen was dropping back to two miles here as he was replacing a delayed Vautour and it had a staggering effect with Ruby Walsh already patting the 1 to 2 favourite down the neck after the final flight with a Grade One field utterly demolished.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 3

A general view as the runners and riders clear ‘Ruby’s Double’ in The Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Steeplechase. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

Twelve lengths behind was stablemate Valseur Lido, and he is already as short as 5 to 1 co-favourite for the Champion with Paddy Power.

“Vautour failed a late fitness test, he wasn’t right at the time of declaration, hopefully he’ll be all right to run later in the week,” said Mullins.

“On that ground, I thought that was very, very good. We won’t make any decisions on him but you would have to consider staying hurdling next season.

“This trip is good enough. He’s a keen horse who likes to get on with the job.”

Mullins had admitted at Cheltenham that emphatic Supreme winner Vautour was a class apart from Faugheen and nodded when asked if he was still of the same opinion, saying: “I think Vautour would have done that and better. This fellow was sloppy at one or two of them, but Vautour wouldn’t have done that – he’d have been over them and gone.”

Owner Rich Ricci, who has the pair as well as Annie Power, said: “He’s a superstar, isn’t he? He’s a (Champion) contender, but we’ll have to think over the summer about what to do with our good novices.”

Perhaps the most popular results of this jump season have been in the two-mile division and there was an Irish fairytale to follow events in Britain after the heartwarming return of Sizing Europe in the Boylesports.com Champion Chase.

At the age of 12, and a winner of exactly half his 42 starts, it appears retirement is on the cards for Henry de Bromhead’s magnificently consistent chaser as owner Alan Potts was keen for him to finish on a high.

A distant fourth behind crowd favourite Sire De Grugy in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Sizing Europe (7 to 1) won a novice hurdle at the 2007 Festival on the first of 16 visits to the Kildare course and he looked a horse with far younger legs as he bounded five and a half lengths clear of David Pipe’s Ballynagour.

Sizing Europe has now picked up this race twice, having followed Sprinter Sacre home last year, and has an Irish Champion Hurdle on his overflowing CV as well as every two-mile chase of merit like the Arkle, Tingle Creek and Queen Mother.

The two market leaders disappeared from the equation at the first fence on the back straight when 100 to 30 favourite Hidden Cyclone fell and irreparably damaged the chance of Module by hampering him.

Sizing Europe had assumed his habitual front-running role under Andrew Lynch, at some points looking as if he was merely setting the race up for a younger rival, but burning away up the undulating home straight he knows so well.

In front of Punchestown’s biggest ever first-day crowd of 19,459 – up from 18,605 last year – he was greeted accordingly.

Potts replied “yes” when asked in one interview if Sizing Europe would be retired, but slightly changed his tack in another one.

He said: “I could see him winning because there was nothing in that race that had beaten us. Somersby beat us once. We beat him the rest of the times.

“I’m not surprised, it’s nice to witness it, but I always thought he could do it. He’s back to his best.”

Popped the question again, he said: “Possibly. We wanted him to go out on a win. He’s got a win. We’ll see.”

Tony McCoy hit the Grade One target with a fine ride on Carlingford Lough in the Growise Champion Novice Chase.

Morning Assembly (7 to 4 favourite) and Don Cossack cut out much of the running, with the former taking a half-length advantage three from home.

Walsh arrived on the scene two out with Ballycasey seemingly full of running, but McCoy switched the John Kiely-trained Carlingford Lough to the inner and joined issue at the last, where Morning Assembly’s chance was ended by a bad mistake.

McCoy’s JP McManus-owned mount got away from it the better and with his rider in full flight, Carlingford Lough, winner of last year’s Galway Plate and successful at the top level at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting, stayed on strongly for a four-and-a-quarter-length triumph.

Forgotten Rules put up an astonishing performance to take the Finlay Motor Group INH Flat Race for Dermot Weld.

Ridden by Robbie McNamara, the four-year-old travelled with immense ease and cruised to the head of affairs rounding the turn for home.

McNamara could afford the luxury of a look round at the furlong pole and sauntered clear from there as the even-money favourite accounted for the well-touted Alamein by 13 lengths.

Very Much So was a 12 to 1 chance for the Goffs Land Rover Bumper despite being Mullins's only runner and those that were not put off by jockey bookings were rewarded with three-quarter length success over Snow Falcon.

Patrick Mullins never featured on the Nicky Henderson-trained favourite Native Display, and at the business end young Johnny Burke did a fine job in getting the four-year-old home under hands and heels.

Exactly 12 months ago Henderson had brought Punchestown to a standstill with the arrival of Sprinter Sacre and the Lambourn trainer popped up with the 9 to 1 winner of the Bragbet.com Handicap Hurdle in Cool Macavity .

There was a familiar result to the Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Chase as smart young prospect 3 to 1 favourite Be Positive took it for the combination of McManus, Nina Carberry and Enda Bolger.

Banks race specialist Bolger was winning it for the fourth time in the last five renewals, and also supplied 11-length runner-up Phar And Away.

“He’s in on Saturday as well, and we might go again,” he said.

RESULTS
3.40
1 Be Positive (Ms N Carberry) 3/1 fav
2 Phar and Away (Mr D O'Connor) 9/1
3 Commanchewardance (Mr R James) 16/1

4.20
1 Faugheen (R Walsh) 1/2 Fav
2 Valseur Lido (P Townend) 9/1
3 Sgt Reckless (AP McCoy) 8/1

4.55
1 Cool Macavity (B Geraghty) 9/1
2 City Slicker (P Townend) 20/1
3 Stocktons Wing (MP Walsh) 9/1
4 The Game Changer (D Russell) 13/2

5.30
1 Sizing Europe (A Lynch) 7/1
2 Ballynagour (T Scudamore) 7/1
3 Savello (D Russell 14/1)

6.05
1 Very Much So (Mr JJ Burke) 12/1
2 Snow Falcon (Ms N Carberry) 6/1
3 Whatsforuwontgobyu (Mr JJ Codd) 8/1
4 Ustica (Mr KE Power) 12/1

6.40
1 Carlingford Lough (AP McCoy) 7/2
2 Ballycasey (R Walsh) 3/1

7.15
1 Forgotten Rules (Mr R McNamara) Evs Fav
2 Alamein (Ms N Carberry) 3/1
3 Art of Security (Mr JJ King) 14/1