Matheson Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Leopardstown 14:20 €150,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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1 Sharjah 5/6F
2 Zanahiyr 5/1
3 Saint Roi 6/1
6 ran Distances: nk, 4¾l, 10l
Time: 3m 49.70s (slow by 4.70s
Four in a row in the @MathesonLaw Hurdle for Sharjah as he joins Istrabaq and Hurricane Fly in achieving the feat. Esteemed company indeed! @WillieMullinsNH @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/XNHuTBT926 https://t.co/8UboZUTBpT via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) December 30, 2021
Only Istabraq and Hurricane Fly had previously won the Grade One contest on four occasions – and even that legendary pair did not manage to win four on the spin.
The Willie Mullins-trained Sharjah was not even favourite when triumphing in 2018, 2019 and 2020 – but off the back of winning his second Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, the eight-year-old was the 5-6 market leader on his return to Foxrock.
Ridden with plenty confidence by the trainer’s son Patrick, Sharjah began to make inroads racing down the back straight, but was still only fourth rounding the turn for home.
He briefly had to be cajoled into contention, but soon came back on the bridle before throwing down his challenge to Zanahiyr after the dolled off final flight.
Zanahiyr refused to go down without a fight, but Sharjah eventually won the argument by a neck.
Willie Mullins said: “That was not good for the heart!
“Patrick said he wasn’t as sharp as other years and then with the last hurdle missing, he got pushed out onto yesterday’s ground and that just blunted his speed in the last furlong.
“He managed to do it anyhow and it was a terrific race. He definitely wasn’t as sharp as other years, but when you win a race four years running, you can’t expect a horse to be improving.
“He’s been a spectacular horse – fantastic for Patrick and Rich and Susannah (Ricci, owners). I think Rich likes Patrick riding him and he’s a special horse for that partnership.”
In each of the past two seasons Sharjah has gone on to disappoint in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in early February before bouncing back to finish second in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
On whether he could miss the Irish Champion Hurdle this time around, Mullins added: “We might do that and go straight to Cheltenham, but I’ll have a word with Rich and Susannah and see.
“It might be the thing to do as it doesn’t seem to work for him.”
Matheson Hurdle
2m, €150,000 guaranteed
6 ran
Going: Yielding to Soft
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Sharjah 8 11-12 W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins 5/6F
2 nk Zanahiyr 4 11-12 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy 5/1
3 4¾ Saint Roi 6 11-12 W P Mullins Rachael Blackmore 6/1
4 10 Echoes In Rain 5 11-5 W P Mullins Paul Townend 5/1
5 45 Felix Desjy 8 11-12 Gordon Elliott B J Cooper 50/1
6 17 Petit Mouchoir 10 11-12 Gordon Elliott Davy Russell 18/1
