Willie Mullins is backing up his call earlier this year for the greater internationalisation of jump racing by running both Nichols Canyon and Shaneshill in Saturday night's $200,000 Iroquois Hurdle in Nashville.
The Irish runners dominate betting for the three-mile event, part of a series designed to encourage international competition which sees a $500,000 bonus for any horse that wins both the Iroquois and Cheltenham’s World Hurdle within a 12-month period.
Ruby Walsh will team up with Nichols Canyon – famously the only horse ever to beat Faugheen – who's a best priced 6-5 to beat eight opponents, one of which is the former Irish Grade 2 winner, Rawnaq.
Walsh teamed up with Mullins to land Japan’s greatest jump race, the Nakayama Grand Jump, with Blackstairmountain in 2013 and the 11-time champion jockey landed last year’s Australian Grand National with Bashboy.
Dominant
Irish jump racing’s dominant combination has enjoyed considerable success in France over the years but in February Mullins called for a global National Hunt series, stating: “I believe we need to internationalise jumping more. If we don’t, jump racing could disappear.”
The trainer’s nephew, Danny, will ride Shansehill who, like Nichols Canyon, is owned by English businessman Graham Wylie. The Iroquois is due off at 10.30 Irish time.
Become Legend is Mullins’s sole weekend runner on the home front and her chance will automatically be examined in Saturday’s Punchestown finale.
The most valuable contest on the Punchestown card is the €24,000 handicap chase which looks a good opportunity for Jessica Harrington’s Mr Fiftyone, fourth to Bright New Dawn at the festival here.
Harrington sends Sandymount Duke to Killarney on Sunday for a first race over fences. The Killarney feature is the €50,000 Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle.
