Considering there was so much agonising through the winter about the impact of small fields there is a certain aptness about the Punchestown Festival highlight getting reduced to a virtual match but since it is Hurricane Fly v Jezki what a match it promises to be.
That hurdling's reigning champ gets second-billing is not something that has been reflected in much of the ante-post betting, but in almost every other way today's three-runner Racing Post Champion Hurdle revolves around the old title-holder.
Hurricane Fly has a flurry of statistical landmarks in his sights – a five-in-a-row in this race alone and a 20th Grade One success in all – but there’s more than just the stats riding on his clash with the horse that relieved him of his Cheltenham crown almost seven weeks ago.
'The Fly' has never appeared overly enamoured with Cheltenham but there was a weariness about his fourth behind Jezki last time that allows many to agree with the general bookmaker view of it being the end of an era.
Rated lower
Currently a horse that's right in the mix of theoretical bar-stool arguments as to the best Irish hurdler ever is as high as 20/1 for the 2015 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham with three of his younger stable-companions rated lower.
If it is a changing of the guard, then it is safe to say none of the new-bloods are likely to ultimately carve out a career as remarkable as Hurricane Fly’s, already a world-record holder in terms of top-flight wins and a true legend of the game.
But as ‘ifs’ go that looks a very presumptive one. Willie Mullins’s superstar went to Cheltenham something of an Irish banker after a triple-Grade One campaign which hardly began impressively here in the Morgiana but progressed through two defeat of Jezki & Co at Leopardstown, achieved in a style that had his trainer stating he believed Hurricane Fly had improved.
Expectations were badly deflated in March but it is a reality that Hurricane Fly has never exhibited his absolute best at Cheltenham, reserving that awesome sight for Punchestown where he has won for the last five years at the festival, including the last four in today’s €200,000 feature.
In fact an argument can be made that the form Hurricane Fly showed at this year's Cheltenham is comparable to his three previous runs there, something which, combined with a return to more usual tactics, makes the five lengths he has to make up on Jezki look far from insurmountable.
'Different tack'
"We rode him differently and maybe he was just too much to the front (at Cheltenham.) Punchestown is a different tack and we'll probably ride him like we always used to and take our chance," Mullins reported. "He didn't run the best race of his life at Cheltenham, but he always runs well in Punchestown."
Of course Jezki is hardly a mug around here either. He was brilliant in last year's novice here and notched a fifth career Grade One in the Champion when getting a brilliant Barry Geraghty ride to hold off Tony McCoy on JP McManus's other top hurdler My Tent Or Yours.
McCoy is back on board today and presumably having Jezki's stable companion Steps To Freedom in the race too is a potential help in terms of pace if Ruby Walsh does take his time on Hurricane Fly. However, McCoy is all too aware of the Hurricane Fly challenge.
“You’d think he’s a better horse here than he is in Cheltenham and there’s no doubt he will be hard to beat,” he conceded yesterday. “But Jezki has won the Champion Hurdle and hopefully he can repeat that.”
