The Irish Angle: Faugh-midable? Donn McClean on Irish Champion Hurdle day

Donn McClean looks ahead to BHP Insurances Irish Champion Hurdle day at Leopardstown on Sunday.

BHP Insurances Irish Champion Hurdle day at Leopardstown, and it's not all about Hurricane Fly.

For the first time in five years, there will be a new name on the trophy after this afternoon's renewal.  The engraver won't get away with the copy-and-paste job that he has employed since Hurricane Fly won his second Irish Champion Hurdle in 2012.  Then he won his third and his fourth and his fifth, and suddenly it is difficult to imagine an Irish Champion Hurdle without him.  Actually, Hurricane Fly will be there this afternoon, he will parade before the race, and Leopardstown will have their very own Hurricane Fly bronze soon.

So there will be a different horse's name on the trophy, but it is difficult to imagine that there will be a different trainer's name.  Even if Willie Mullins fielded Faugheen as the lone raider, it would be long odds-on that he would be taking the trophy home with him again.  But Willie is running Nichols Canyon and Arctic Fire as well, just to be sure to be sure.  He could have left the trophy sitting on the mantelpiece at Closutton.

This triumvirate occupy the top three places in the market for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, so it is only fit and proper that they should all contest the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January too.  Last season, Faugheen skipped Leopardstown in January, went straight from Kempton in December to Cheltenham in March, and that method didn't work out too badly.  But the Irish Champion Hurdle is well positioned relative to Cheltenham, seven and a bit weeks between them during which i's can be dotted and t's can be crossed, so why not?

It is great for this afternoon's race that the champion trainer is allowing the two under-studies take on the champion.  All three cannot win.  At least two of them will lose.  But that's the thing about this National Hunt game compared to the flat game: the fear of losing does not loom over your head every time you race.

Whoever finishes second today will bag 20 grand, whoever finishes third will bag 10 grand, and all three horses have different owners, Willie reasons.  They are all entitled to their shot at it.

The race is obviously immeasurably better for the inclusion of all three Mullins horses.  Without two of them, we would have a three-horse race and an unbackable favourite.  With all three of them, we have an intriguing horse race.  Faugheen's chance to gain his revenge on Nichols Canyon after his Morgiana Hurdle reverse; Arctic Fire's chance to redeem his reputation after he was well beaten in the Christmas Hurdle on his first attempt at three miles, when he returned a sick horse.  Faugheen should win, but it is a fascinating contest.

Mullins runs just Douvan in the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase, and just two others are set to take him on.  There is your uncompetitive race right there.  No British raiders, no Sizing John, no Killultagh Vic. 

Henry de Bromhead runs Domesday Book, who was impressive in winning his beginners' chase at Limerick over Christmas, and Alan Fleming runs Velvet Maker, who was impressive in winning his beginners' chase at Naas in November.  Barry Connell's horse was well beaten by Douvan in the Racing Post Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, but it is safe to assume that that was not his true running.

That said, Douvan has 17lb in hand of Velvet Maker on official ratings, and he has 22lb in hand of Domesday Book.  As a contest, the race is looking decidedly lop-sided, but as a spectacle, it will be well worthwhile.  It will be good to see Douvan race again, jump fences again.  It is horses like Douvan who warm the winter.

Hogan's runner worth a chance

From a betting perspective, the two-mile handicap chase is probably the most interesting race on the card.  Rogue Trader would be a worthy favourite.  Tom Taaffe's horse was a progressive novice hurdler last term, and he rounded off his season by finishing a good second in a three-mile handicap hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April off a mark of 123.

He ran well to finish second behind Douvan in his beginners' chase at Navan in November on his second run over fences, and, while he disappointed last time at Fairyhouse behind Killultagh Vic in his, that was almost certainly not his true running.  He has been given a chance by the handicapper, who has given him a mark of 123 for his handicap chase debut, a mark that is 5lb lower than his mark over hurdles.

However, it may be that Rogue Trader will be more effective over longer trips and, at a bigger price, Eiri Na Casca could represent better value.  Denis Hogan's horse put up an impressive performance to win a two-mile handicap chase at Naas last Saturday, and he shapes like a horse who will continue to improve.

He will need to improve, because this is a significant step up in grade, and he has to race off a mark that is 13lb higher than the mark off which he won on Saturday.  However, he left the impression that day that he won with more in hand than the official margin of four lengths, and he clocked a decent time.

He goes well left-handed, he goes well on soft ground, he is obviously in top form and he goes well in cheekpieces.  His record in the headgear reads 1321, so it is a positive that they have been declared for today.  The Spadoun gelding is only seven, he has raced just seven times over fences in his career, and there should be more to come from him.

* For more of Donn's thoughts, visit www.donnmcclean.com.