Hurricane Fly continues Leopardstown love affair

Hurricane Fly once again got the better of old foe Jezki in a pulsating renewal of the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown to register his fourth victory in the race as he stretched his unbeaten record at the Foxrock track to nine.

With the score 3-2 in favour of Willie Mullins' brilliant hurdler heading into their latest battle, Hurricane Fly was the 5-6 favourite to get the job done again.

Jezki was the first of the big two to commit for home in the hands of Tony McCoy, but Ruby Walsh tracked him through aboard Hurricane Fly and there was little to choose between the pair jumping the final flight.

Both horses fought tooth and nail to the line, but it was Hurricane Fly who brought the house down with another determined success.

Jezki was one of three runners in the field for leading owner JP McManus and his two other participants, Plinth and Alderwood, did their best to give the Jessica Harrington-trained Champion Hurdle hero a tow into the race.

Jezki hit the front after the home turn, but Hurricane Fly, who beat his major rival in this race 12 months ago, was right in his slipstream.

When it turned into a scrap after the last hurdle, Mullins' inmate once again dug deep into his reserves to seize the day by half a length.

The winner's stable companion, Arctic Fire, was not far behind the big two in third.

Mullins said: "I think he's the best anyone has ever trained over jumps.

"I'll never have another horse like him.

"He's unique."

Walsh said: "He's an incredible little horse, but it takes two horses to make a race and, in fairness to Jezki, he showed up today and it was an honest race.

"Plinth and Alderwood built the pace all the way down the back (straight) and it turned into a test of stamina more so than a sprint.

"He's a pleasure to ride. To have him at the peak of his powers for so many years is an incredible feat.

"You'll never take 21 Grade Ones away from him and counting."

Mullins was keen to praise Hurricane Fly's fighting qualities which yielded a half-length success.

"There is a fantastic atmosphere here and it was a fantastic race just to watch," said the County Carlow handler.

"It was a superbly run race. JP's horses had the advantage, tactically. I told Ruby to ride him as you find him and don't try and beat Jezki.

"Coming to the final flight, Fly always gets a good jump but Jezki got a fantastic one as well.

"When he got over the last he put his ears back and no horse I've ever seen can battle like him.

"When he got his head in front he kept it there and he's just a professional.

"Ruby said he jumped a shadow at the first and landed on it. He had a bit of gorse stuck in his girth coming back in which must have been uncomfortable for him.

"He didn't look happy going away on the bend from the stands and it took him until about the mile to warm up.

"We expected Jezki to be better but we knew we were better as well. There is not much between them.

"We're always trying to find the next one coming along but I don't think I have anything like him.

"Faugheen is seven from seven but he has a long way to go. Hopefully we find another one but he's unique.

"Last year people were asking me would he be retired but I said, 'No, why?'.

"He had two less-than-good runs but any horse is allowed that. I thought if the ability was still there, there was no question and he was showing at home that the zest for racing was still there.

"We probably didn't do enough with him in the second half of last season.

"We were training him like he was when he was still keen but he's not like that now. We rectified that now.

"I'm enjoying his wins more now as there is not the pressure there used to be."

Although stablemate Faugheen is the ante-post Champion Hurdle favourite for the Cheltenham showpiece in March, Mullins said: "To me, he's our top Champion Hurdle horse - he has the ratings.

"He (Faugheen) looks the one coming up, but he's (Hurricane Fly) doing it."

Mullins said Hurricane Fly is likely to next compete in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle back at Leopardstown on 25 January.

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