Unibet Morgiana Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Punchestown 14:15 €85,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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| Sunday 19th November 2017 | |
1 Faugheen 4/11F
2 Jezki 6/1
3
Swamp Fox 20/1
4 ran NR: Vroum Vroum Mag
Distances: 16l, 37l Time: 4m 0.00s
Faugheen demolishes his rivals to win the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown
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Faugheen could not have been more convincing in the Grade One contest, as he made his eagerly-awaited comeback after 665 days on the sidelines.
Paul Townend, deputising on Willie Mullins' star for the injured Ruby Walsh, let Faugheen bowl along in front and once he asked him to go and put the race to bed, the 4-9 favourite fairly sprinted clear.
Jezki, another former Champion Hurdle victor, was a distant second. Campeador fell at the last when well out of contention.
Townend said: "He was deadly, unbelievable - he looks as good as ever.
"I wanted to keep it simple, I thought I was on the best horse and the best way to get him beat was to complicate it. It worked out - he's a very, very good horse.
"He's the real deal."
Mullins said: "It was great to see him back in action. It was a great relief to have him back and a relief to get him on the racetrack. He seems to have come out of the race well, which is very pleasing.
"Nearly every horse gets an injury of some description, but certainly seeing what he did (at the weekend) probably makes you realise how hard it is to get a horse of that class that can retain that ability after a lengthy time off.
"I think it was above expectations. I was hoping to get him back and run sound and I certainly didn't expect him to do anything like that.
"If he was beaten through race fitness, I would not have been surprised. He had horses that were in against him that were very fit and had winning form all over the place. He just showed his class.
"It was great to have him back for the Morgiana, as that is where you want your top hurdlers to start.
"There is nothing planned at the moment, but the Christmas Hurdle and the Ryanair Hurdle are two races we are looking at."
Unibet Morgiana Hurdle
€85,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Soft to Heavy
| Pos | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Faugheen (IRE) 4/11f | P Townend 11-10 |
W P Mullins | 9 | |
| 2nd | 16 | Jezki (IRE) 6/1 | M P Walsh 11-10 |
Mrs J Harrington | 9 |
| 3rd | 37 | Swamp Fox (IRE) 20/1 | D J Mullins 11-10 |
J G Murphy | 5 |
| F | Campeador (FR) 9/2 | D N Russell 11-10 |
G Elliott | 5 | |
| NR | Vroum Vroum Mag (FR) | P Townend 11-3 |
W P Mullins | 8 |
