Not only does Willie Mullins bring an army horses to the
festival each year, but among them there seems to always be some the most
exciting emerging talent jump racing has to offer. His novices this year will
be almost impossible to beat in some cases, and such was the case last year
too, with his outstanding novice hurdlers winning the Supreme and the Neptune.
On May 2nd 2008, the day before Henrythenavigator beat New Approach
to win the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and 5 days before Ruby Walsh and Willie
Mullins teamed up to bring a horse named Hurricane Fly its first victory on
Irish soil, a foal was born in Tuam, County Galway in the west of Ireland and
given the name Faugheen, a name he shares with a small village in South-East
Ireland.
Fast forward 6 months – November. After losing his Gold Cup
crown at the end of the previous season, Kauto Star is on course to return to
the top and wins the Champion Chase at Down Royal. Meanwhile, the same horse
that was bred on May 2nd is bought by Peter Quinlan for €4,000 at
the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.
It was another three years before we heard from Faugheen
again. At the Goffs June National Hunt Sale in 2011, less than a week before
Frankel asserted his dominance over the 1 mile division of flat racing by
winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, Faugheen was bought by
Rich Ricci for €12,000. And such began a match made in heaven when this horse,
only 3 years of age, was sent into training with Willie Mullins.
On April 28th 2012, Willie Mullins won the final
race of the Punchestown festival with a horse called Drive Time. Mullins had
had 57 runners over the 5 days of the festival that year, yielding a return of
12 winners, but there was no time for rest among the Closuttton operation. The
following day, young stable hopeful Faugheen was sent out to Ballysteen to run
in a 3 mile point-to-point. He won in style.
While point-to-point enthusiasts took note of Faugheen’s
talent and potential, it was over a year before the rest of the racing world
would see him. On May 11th 2013, Faugheen showed his class on the
racecourse for the first time, winning a bumper at Punchestown by 22 lengths.
It turned out to be good form, with the top 3 horses racking up a total of 12
wins between them from 15 starts in the next 365 days. Among the horses he beat
was Josses Hill in 2nd, who went on to finish 2nd in the
Supreme at Cheltenham and win the Top Novices Hurdle at Aintree.
Faugheen quickened very impressively when the time came and
only needed two or three reminders from Patrick Mullins which probably weren’t
all that necessary; new notebook and tracker entries were made with one name –
Faugheen, the horse to follow over the following season.
The summer came and went and the 2013/14 season began. Ruby
Walsh had taken the reins from Patrick Mullins after the impressive bumper
display and he paired up with Faugheen at Punchestown to guide him over hurdles
for the first time. His jumping was as you would expect in a maiden hurdle, his
progress through the field smooth as he went 2nd approaching the
second last. Odds-on backers held their breaths as he took the lead and eased
clear, jumping the last and winning easily.
It wasn’t a tough race by any means – Faugheen was the only
horse to go from it and do anything of note – but it was another impressive
display from what was becoming a real horse to watch from a yard which had
proven it could achieve anything.
Navan was the next port of call for the exciting Faugheen,
and a novice hurdle over 2m 4f. His price was even shorter this time, a
ridiculous 1/9 – ridiculous for most horses, warranted for Faugheen. We can’t
blame the bookmakers for attempting to deter us from backing a horse that looks
unbeatable, and this has been the case throughout the career of Faugheen.
Making a mistake at the third last, as Faugheen began to
move up on leader Empire Of Dirt, it looked for a moment as if a win could be
in doubt were his jumping to let him down. There was no such concern over the
second last, though, and after jumping it well, the beautiful acceleration we
were becoming accustomed to saw Faugheen pass out Empire Of Dirt with
ridiculous ease to win comfortably.
On December 28th at Limerick, Faugheen, now
firmly in the Neptune picture, was back out, facing what should have been his
toughest task yet in Grade 3 company. Effortless was the only word to describe
it. Just too easy. This was better company – Azorian subsequently proved
himself to be good enough to place in a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse, beating Apache
Stronghold, while Lots Of Memories has since won a Grade 2 and finished 3rd
in two Grade 1’s.
There were some worrying scenes as three untidy jumps in a
row between the sixth last and fourth last would have put a lesser horse in
trouble; Faugheen’s momentum and, let’s be honest, raw talent, saw him win with
ease. Two months of rest and homework was the order from Mullins after that
race, to prepare him for the big prizes spring has to offer.
And so, his big day came. The sun rose over Prestbury Park
on the morning of day two of the Cheltenham festival and Willie Mullins’ team
of 14 for the day rose with it; it was to be his busiest day of the festival,
and the leading hope was Faugheen.
1.30 came and they were off. The leader jumped left over the
first and Faugheen followed in about 4th place, but lost no ground
in doing so and stayed in 4th for a long period. He travelled and
jumped well, moving into 2nd place approaching the fourth last which
he jumped badly but managed to stay in the picture. On they moved to the third
last and Faugheen began, without showing any strain, not quite to challenge but
to identify himself as a threat, dangerously quickening as they approached the
third – but again he jumps badly and knocks over the third hurdle!
He momentarily loses ground but makes it up to lead briefly
as they approach the last – still in the race, yet we shook with anticipation.
His last two jumps had been the worst we had seen, could the second-last finish
his race? He approaches it on level terms with Red Sherlock but jumps it well,
landing side to side with his competitor. It looks as if the two are ready to
engage in a ferocious battle up the hill – but no, Tom Scudamore is putting everything
into Red Sherlock while Ruby by contrast is simply shaking up Fagheen ever so
slightly yet getting a massive response.
He takes the lead and begins to draw clear. Those behind him
are under pressure, travelling well but unable to match the class of Faugheen.
Another moment of nervousness – we held our breaths as he tooks the last and he
flew over it – he flew over the last, he flew up the hill, like a train on
which the notorious hill had no effect – a machine. Faugheen the machine.
If Faugheen was trying to let us know at Cheltenham that he
was a serious horse, that he was a classy competitor, that he would be well in
contention outside of novice company at the following year’s festival, he gave
us a loud reminder the following month when Willie Mullins ran him at the
Punchestown festival in the hope of finishing off the season in style.
Style doesn’t begin to describe it.
Superlatives are overused in horse racing. We’re all guilty
of it. Words like “fantastic” and “impressive” are thrown about on a weekly –
no, a daily basis, in an attempt to sensationalise winners. The true measure of
a great performance is being left speechless after watching. Words can’t sum up
what you just witnessed. Such performances are few and far between.
Faugheen’s run was simply breath taking. The effortlessness,
the ease, the simplicity, the class. It was all too much to be summed up by
mere words. The image of Ruby Walsh sitting motionless on top of Faugheen,
looking back to see his competitors in the distance, stroking Faugheen’s mane
in praise, is one that will stay with me for a long time. He needed no
reminders, he needed no encouragement, and as for Ruby – he needed to do no
work, as Faugheen delivered the goods in tremendous style, with so much more
undoubtedly in the tank.
It had been a fantastic season for Faugheen. Confirmed to
stay hurdling the following season while stable companion Vautour took to the
fences, he took a well-deserved break after doing everything asked of him and
more.
It was on November 22nd that Faugheen reappeared
on the racecourse, heading to Ascot for a run in the Ascot Hurdle. The run was
yet again flawless, and Faugheen confirmed to us that he was still as well as
he had been the previous season. Approaching the final hurdle, it really seemed
as if Blue Fashion, who jumped the second-last very well, could make a race out
of it and seemed to be challenging Faugheen, yet as we watched Ruby Walsh’s
body language it was clear that that was never a doubt in the man’s mind. He
approached the final hurdle with a marginal lead, jumped over it very well and
yet again quickened characteristically well to finish 4 lengths clear.
The Christmas Hurdle at Kempton was touted as a possible clash between the top two in
the Champion Hurdle market, Faugheen and The New One. However, it was not to be
and Faugheen travelled to Kempton on Boxing Day to face much lesser opposition,
with Irving considered his main, and possibly only, rival. Faugheen put in his
trademark effortless performance, winning yet again, requiring nothing from
Ruby in the way of encouragement yet again – it was all too easy.
And so here we are. On March 10th 2015, over 300
miles from Tuam, County Galway where it all began, Faugheen will face his
toughest task yet. Facing course winners, Grade 1 winners, and two Champion
Hurdle winners is going to be an awful lot tougher than anything he’s had to do
before.
Faugheen’s improvement to date has been incredible, his talent unbelievable, his
potential unimaginable. What this horse could go on to achieve given his age of
7 (the same as Hurricane Fly when he won his first Champion Hurdle) is
inconceivable. Just as the career of a great Mullins hurdler comes towards its end, another is
just getting started.
He has one mammoth task ahead of him, though. Taking on
2-mile hurdling’s elite. The best of the best, the clash of the titans. If
Faugheen is to go on to achieve greatness in this great game, it all starts
here. Can he do it? Just as it does every time Faugheen leads over the last and
lifts off the ground, a racing world holds its breath in anticipation.
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