Champion Hurdle 2011

Result and story of the race

The 2011 Champion Hurdle was one of the most eagerly awaited contests of the Cheltenham festival. Punters were not disappointed when the 11/4 favourite, Hurricane Fly, won the race in style for his trainer Willie Mullins under Ruby Walsh. They beat Donald McCain’s Peddlers Cross and Jason Maguire by just over a length.

The eleven strong field was led by the exuberant Overturn, ridden by Graham Lee, who set a strong pace from the off. He was pursued by the 200/1 outsider, Bygones of Brid, under Timmy Murphy. Peddlers Cross, sent off as third favourite at 9/2 in the Champion Hurdle Betting, settled at the head of the chasing group with Oscar Whisky ridden by Barry Geraghty in close attendance on his outside. Menorah, the second favourite at 3/1, hugged the rail just behind them and was tracked by Hurricane Fly who was also intent on taking the shortest possible route. Dunguib flanked him whilst Khyber Kim, Mille Chief and Thousand Stars were held up with Clerk’s Choice at the rear of the field.

The market leaders maintained their positions until the third last when Peddlers Cross and Oscar Whisky were asked to quicken and engulfed Overturn, relegating him to third. Bygones of Brid had already dropped back to the rear of the field. The race was now on in earnest. Brian O’Connell found nothing on Dunguib while Khyber Kim also weakened after the second last. Alan King’s Mille Chief had never really got into the race.

As they took the turn into the home straight, the leading pair, Peddlers Cross and Oscar Whisky were being ridden along whilst the motionless Walsh ominously eased Hurricane Fly to the outside of Menorah to challenge the leaders. Overturn had been hampered on the bend and had dropped to fifth. Thousand Stars seemed to be the only other horse with a chance of making the frame.

Walsh finally moved on Hurricane Fly approaching the last and was the first to take off at the final flight, just ahead of Peddlers Cross under a strong drive from Maguire. The pair stole two lengths on their closest pursuers, Oscar Whisky and Menorah, who took the flight together. Menorah misjudged it and stumbled on landing as the leading duo forged well clear. Hurricane Fly responded to Walsh’s urgings towards the line and reached it a good length ahead of the battling Peddlers Cross. On crossing the line Hurricane Fly immediately pricked his ears suggesting that there was plenty more to come from this talented six year old.

Oscar Whisky kept on well but couldn’t get within five lengths of the leading pair whilst Willie Mullins’ other runner, Thousand Stars, stayed on to take fourth from the weakening Menorah who could only manage fifth.

It was an impressive debut for Hurricane Fly on English soil. The son of Montjeu had been successfully campaigned in Ireland, making a career out of beating Solwhit in the top races on offer, but had previously been prevented from attending Cheltenham by injury.

He had always had solid claims on the race and had only been beaten once since he was moved from France in 2008. Before the race, Ruby Walsh had intimated that the horse would probably improve for running on good ground rather than the mud he had regularly encountered in Ireland.

There was no shortage of hype before the race and there had been plenty of ante post activity with four horses drawing clear of the market, Binocular, Menorah, Peddlers Cross and Hurricane Fly.

The Nicky Henderson trained Binocular, winner of the 2010 Champion Hurdle, was the favourite of the quartet during the week before the race at 3/1 but the experts were struggling to make a confident call on the likely winner.

Their task was suddenly made easier when Nicky Henderson’s Binocular was unexpectedly withdrawn from the race on Sunday morning. A drug allegedly administered as treatment for an allergy had stayed in the horse’s system and was likely to result in a positive test on raceday. Henderson couldn’t afford another run in with the dope testers so Binocular would not get the chance to defend his title.

Menorah immediately became the new favourite at 3/1 with Hurricane Fly and Peddlers Cross close behind him at 7/2 with most of the big firms.

For followers of Binocular wondering ‘what if...’ the question was answered emphatically two months later over the same distance on May 6th when he joined Menorah and Hurricane Fly in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

Hurricane Fly started as the 1/2 favourite and franked his Cheltenham form with an imperious win. Binocular, the second favourite at 5/1, appeared to be a horse with a physical problem and repeatedly jumped to the left. He could only finish third behind Mullins’ second string hurdler, Thousand Stars. Philip Hobbs’ Menorah was fourth.

Binocular had been similarly unimpressive in the John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle on 9th April over the longer distance of 2 miles 4 furlongs. He had started as second favourite at 7/4 behind the disappointing Peddlers Cross who led the market at 11/8 but finished second to last having hit the final hurdle and weakened. Nicky Henderson’s Oscar Whisky won the race, beating Thousand Stars partnered by Katie Walsh by a neck. Alan King’s Salden Licht finished third, heading Binocular by over two lengths.

If Binocular had lined up in the 2011 Champion Hurdle, subsequent form suggests that his followers would simply have lost their betting money.