The talented Jezki meets the mighty Hurricane Fly. It's the seventh clash of these rivals, each one seeming more significant than the last. Hurricane Fly today seeks to win his fifth Irish Champion Hurdle in a row; both are due to travel to Cheltenham in March where Jezki will aim to defend his Champion Hurdle crown and Hurricane Fly to regain his from his days as champion in 2011 and 2013.
Looking ahead to Cheltenham at this stage, neither of them seem the most likely winner at a glance. Willie Mullins' unbeaten Faugheen is the overwhelming favourite after putting in magnificent displays since winning at the festival last year. The New One is also rated more highly than either of today's runners, after suffering from a lack of luck when hampered in last year's race and recovering in wonderful style.
Of today's challengers, however, Jezki certainly seems the most likely winner come March. Beaten by Hurricane Fly during the winter last year, he showed his talent in beating his elder when the festival came. He's being trained to peak in the spring again, there's no doubt about that, and peak he will when Cheltenham and Punchestown come around.
Hurricane Fly, on the other hand, has never been quite the horse at Cheltenham that we see in Ireland. Perhaps he doesn't respond well to travelling, maybe he doesn't like the course, who knows? But as we watch Hurricane Fly throughout the year at his beloved Leopardstown, he will almost certainly be running to a slightly higher standard than he will be come March when a trip to Gloucestershire beckons.
With this in mind and the cut in the ground to benefit him today, I'll be backing Hurricane Fly to make it five Irish Champion Hurdles in a row, to make it 10 wins from 10 runs at his second home that is Leopardstown - but my viewpoint at the moment has to be that come March, the roles of these two rivals will be reversed.
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