Hurricane Fly last won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2011

 PICTURE: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images 

Fly consolidates position as Champion favourite

AN EASY victory for Hurricane Fly in Sunday’s Irish Champion Hurdle has seen him solidify his position at the head of the betting for the Cheltenham equivalent, and the 2011 winner is now a best-priced 3-1 chance to regain his crown.

A general 7-2 shot for the Stan James-sponsored day one highlight before his five-length success at odds of 1-6, the nine-year-old was cut across the board with the majority of bookmakers split between 5-2 and 11-4. Coral offer the standout 3-1, while William Hill went shortest at 9-4.

Hurricane Fly was described as “back to his very best” by trainer Willie Mullins after the race and those sentiments were echoed by fellow trainer Charlie Swan, who won the Champion Hurdle three times as a jockey on Istabraq.

Speaking in the Racing Post’s Monday Jury, Swan said: “Hurricane Fly won the way most people thought he would. He looked very good and seems back to his best. He’ll have a big chance of regaining the Champion Hurdle if in the same form.

“One note of caution is he won the Irish Champion very easily last year but came up short at Cheltenham. Darlan and some of the other younger pretenders will put it up to him but he’s in pole position.”

Despite defeat, bookmakers were happy to leave the vanquished Binocular, who won the Champion Hurdle the year before Hurricaner Fly, at 20-1.

The other major Festival mover was Grade 2 novice hurdlewinner Pont Alexandre, who halved in price to 7-2 after a similarly authoritative performance. So impressed was trainer Willie Mullins, he said: “He looks to be one of the best novice hurdlers we’ve had, apart maybe from Hurricane Fly.”

			HORSE/SP	AGE	WGT	TRAINER/JOCKEY	OR	TS	RPR
«	1		Hurricane Fly (IRE) 1/6F	9	11-10	W P Mullins	173	*	*
						R Walsh
«	2	5	Thousand Stars (FR) 9/1	9	11-10	W P Mullins	163	*	*
						Paul Townend
«	3	nse	Binocular (FR) 11/2	9	11-10	Nicky Henderson	167	*	*
						A P McCoy
«	4	29	Captain Cee Bee (IRE) 25/1	12	11-10	Edward P Harty	152	*	*
						Mark Walsh
«	5	27	One Cool Shabra (IRE) 100/1	5	11-8 p	Patrick O Brady	131	*	*
						John Cullen

5 ran TIME 4m 5.10s (slow by 20.10s) Total SP 116%
1st OWNER: George Creighton & Mrs Rose Boyd BRED: Agricola Del Parco TRAINER: W P Mullins
2nd OWNER: Hammer & Trowel Syndicate
3rd OWNER: John P McManus
TOTE WIN £1.10 PL £1.02, £2.00; Ex £2.30; CSF £3.27

 

fonte: Racingpost