PUNCHESTOWN PREVIEW:THE BRILLIANT Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly is on track to start a long odds-on favourite and settle a score in Punchestown's Grade One feature event this Sunday. Willie Mullins' star performer has only been defeated once in 11 starts over jumps since coming to Ireland and that came in the Ladbrokes Morgiana Hurdle two years ago when finishing only third to Solwhit.
Hurricane Fly has been foot-perfect on every other occasion over flights and completed a five-out-of-five campaign last season with a memorable Cheltenham success the highlight. Just five opponents have been entered at the five-day stage of this year’s Morgiana and they include Hurricane Fly’s stable companions, So Young and the French Champion Hurdle victor, Thousand Stars.
The latter was a five length runner-up to Hurricane Fly at Punchestown last May.
So Young has also been given an entry in a conditions hurdle on Sunday but Hurricane Fly, installed a 1 to 16 favourite to be crowned Ireland’s Horse Of The Year for 2011, is going to be a long odds-on favourite to continue his Grade One hot-streak.
Jessica Harrington has left in Oscars Well while Charles Byrnes, who trained Solwhit to beat Hurricane Fly, will rely on the prolific Pittoni.
Just eight entries remain in both Grade Two novice chases on Sunday and Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud has half the eight left in the two and three quarter mile Florida Pearl Chase. The quartet include the Galway winner Last Instalment and the Mouse Morris-trained pair, Four Commanders and First Lieutenant.
“I’ve given him (First Lieutenant) the entry there on Sunday and we’ll see what’s what. I’ll have to speak to Michael and we’ll see what we want to do. We also have the Drinmore to consider too,” Morris said yesterday.
“I’d like to get five runs into him before taking on the big guns. They’ve been a bit quick but he’s taken them well. De Valira beat him on his second run but he turned that form around easily the last day. That happens in racing.
“Four Commanders will probably run on Sunday, he had no trouble winning last time. It’s that time of year now. It just harder and harder to win,” he added.
Sunday’s other Grade Two is the Craddockstown Chase over two miles and among the eight for that is Tom Cooper’s Lucky William, a course winner on his last start.
“I thought he’d make a really nice novice last season but he just lost his confidence a bit after a couple of falls, but he’s really got it together again this year,” Cooper said yesterday.
“He’s a very strong travelling horse, he does a lot on the bridle. I think he’ll be at his best between two and two and a half miles.”
