RACING: PUNCHESTOWN REPORT AND PREVIEW:SOME SPLENDID performances have lit up the 2011 Punchestown festival but there is no greater tribute to Hurricane Fly's status that much of the week has felt like a warm-up to his appearance in this evening's feature event.

Willie Mullins’s mercurial seven-year-old finally achieved what his trainer always believed was in him when landing the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and Hurricane Fly will be a hot favourite to follow up in today’s €160,000 Rabobank Champion Hurdle. This is a race he memorably won last year on the back of an injury-interrupted season and Hurricane Fly is attempting a third Punchestown festival success in a row as well as a sixth Grade One triumph in succession.

The figures are impressive but it is the style of Hurricane Fly’s victories that have made such an impression on race fans. Possessed of Montjeu’s excitable temperament, but also more than a touch of his sire’s brilliance, Hurricane Fly combines that with a will-to-win that has made him a natural.

That combination of talent and guts was needed at Cheltenham when the nerves that mean he races with ear-plugs in looked to catch up with him. Ruby Walsh struggled to get Hurricane Fly to settle and in many ways it was remarkable the horse had so much left to get the better of a final duel up the hill against Peddlers Cross.

Since then Mullins has nominated a tilt at next month’s French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil – and a hurdling Triple Crown that only Dawn Run has ever achieved before – as an option but today’s race brings its own fascination.

Menorah was a lacklustre fifth at Cheltenham but much interest will centre on the 2010 champion Binocular who missed out on a defence of that title due to a well-publicised problem with an allergy and the medication used to treat it.

Nicky Henderson’s runner has run since at Liverpool and finished only fourth to his stable companion Oscar Whiskey, and another Mullins hope who runs today, Thousand Stars, but should be better back at the minimum trip.

“I’m sort of wondering, and hopeful, that race might just have been needed a bit more than I would have anticipated. I think you’ll see a sharper horse now as he is in good form,” Binocular’s trainer Nicky Henderson said yesterday. “The interesting thing is it’s the first time he and Hurricane Fly have ever met so there’s a certain amount at stake on that score as well,” he added.

Much of that has had to do with various setbacks endured by Hurricane Fly in the past but he has had a trouble-free run so far this season. “I’ve been very happy with him since Cheltenham,” said Mullins yesterday. “We’ve had a tremendous season with him so hopefully we can keep that going for the next one.”

Today’s main support event, the Cathal Ryan Memorial Champion Novice Hurdle, also has just six starters but it faces an intriguing clash between the Cheltenham winner First Lieutenant and the horse that finished third behind him in the Neptune, So Young.

The latter arrived at Cheltenham with a huge reputation and was backed accordingly. Oscars Wells’ final flight mistake got most attention after the race but So Young was also less than fluent at that obstacle.

Ahead of him First Lieutenant pounced late to touch off Rock On Ruby but there will be plenty willing to bet today that So Young can reverse that form.

Whether he will or not is another matter as First Lieutenant is bred to relish quicker ground and is hardly without a massive home reputation himself.

Backing topweights in 19 runner handicaps is hardly an advisable past-time usually but Wishfull Thinking looks a special case in today’s Mick The Tent Memorial Novice Chase. The English raider only found Noble Prince too good for him at Cheltenham and followed that up with a dominant display at Aintree.

His presence means only four others are racing from the handicap proper and although it is a big ask for any horse to compete at the top of their game at the big three festivals, Wishfull Thinking raced at Liverpool like a horse very much on the improve.

Kid Cassidy boasts very decent form with Rock On Ruby from earlier this season and can provide another British success in the two mile novice hurdle while Another Palm could be a value option in the marathon handicap chase.