When it comes to the
most sought after Cheltenham
Festival bets
at the 2014 renewal of the outstanding
National Hunt meeting, there appears little doubt that one of the
most popular horses with punters is likely to be the dual Champion
Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly, writes Elliot Slater.
The horse who has won more Grade 1
races than any other on the Flat or jumps in history - not just in
Britain but anywhere in the world - the Willie Mullins-trained
10-year-old remains the one they all have to beat as he goes for a
famous third win in the Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
on March 11, the opening day of the eagerly anticipated fixture at
which more than a quarter-of-a-million racegoers are expected to be
in attendance during the four days of the meeting.
Everyone will be looking for a banker
and Hurricane Fly is sure to be one of the most feature Cheltenham
Festival bets, especially as his two-mile championship race takes
place on the first day of the meeting and a win would give punters a
great start and plenty of cash with which to go to war against the
bookies for the rest of the week.
Defeated only once in his last 17
starts over the last four years when having an off-day and running
only third to Rock On Ruby in the 2012 Champion Hurdle, the gelded
son of Montjeu has struck up a tremendous relationship with star
Irish jockey Ruby
Walsh, a factor that shone through on his
most recent outing when he had to pull out all the stops to beat the
young pretender Our Conor in a tremendous renewal of the BHP Irish
Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January.
His length-and-a-half defeat of last
season’s Triumph Hurdle winner threw down the gauntlet to the
younger brigade and showed that it will take a really good one to
beat this legendary horse at Cheltenham in March.