THOSE WHO think that this will be Large Action's year in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle had their confidence boosted when Cockney Lad and Theatreworld, second and third to him at Fairyhouse before Christmas when he won by a decisive six-length margin, fought out the finish to yesterday's AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, with Cockney Lad getting up in the last few strides.
Theatreworld, an ante-post gamble from 5 to 2, was the preferred mount of Charlie Swan with Richard Dunwoody booked for stablemate Urubande and the pair of them set off in front disputing the lead stride for stride to the straight.
Such tactics scarcely helped the cause of Theatreworld and Aidan O'Brien confessed afterwards that "as early as the second jump, I knew we were in trouble. However, all I can do is get them as fit as possible and book the best jockeys available."
Even so, Theatreworld still seemed to be going strongly as he shook off Urubande turning for home and between the last two flights, the only danger seemed to be Noel Meade's 25 to 1 chance Dardjini, who had gone second.
Dardjini made a bad mistake at the last and just as favourite backers began to cheer, a new danger emerged with Cockney Lad, last but one into the straight, being produced on the outside by Richard Hughes.
Providing the sort of drive that has made Hughes such an exciting find on the Flat - he won last year's Italian Derby on Bahamian Knight - he forced Cockney Lad up by a length. The stewards were less impressed though by his multiple use of the whip and took the gloss off the victory with a four-day suspension.
This was Cockney Lad's seventh win over hurdles and he was given a best-priced 33 to 1 quotation for Cheltenham. He carries the colours of his 79-year-old breeder Dan Daly, who told me afterwards that no fewer than 10 members of the family had an interest.
The general reaction to the race by major bookmaking firms saw Collier Bay trimmed from 7 to 2 down to 3 to 1 favouritism to retain his Champion Hurdle title, while William Hill cut Large Action a point to 6 to 1.
Neither of David Nicholson's big race runners Zabadi nor Escartefigue showed with a serious chance, but his raid did pay off one handsome dividend as Mulligan led all the way to win the Bailey's Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup.
The winner was the only runner to put in a proper display of fast clean, jumping and the initial debacle came at the second fence. Here the odds-on Danoli got in too close to the base of the fence and fell, biting his tongue in the tumble. Thereafter potential challengers Kharasar and Penndara blundered their way out of contention and Mulligan galloped home an untested winner.
The drama associated with this victory occurred off rather than on the track. His jockey, Adrian Maguire, shared an executive jet with Lady Harris and her husband, but because of the fog they had to revise their travel plans and change airports.
In consequence, Maguire missed the ride on the beaten favourite Namoodaj and might well have been late for Mulligan. "We got from Dublin Airport to Leopardstown in 25 minutes, thanks to the assistance of the gardai who provided us with an escort," said Maguire after the victory.
Bought out of Michael Morris's stable for £100,000 guineas at the Doncaster Sales last May, Mulligan is now unbeaten in four chase starts and will be trying for the Arkle double at Cheltenham. The Harris family have been major supporters of Irish jumping stock in recent years and their latest purchase was last week's bumper winner Artic Camper from John Kiely.
The bookmakers showed their ability to know the right day when to be in action. They had been on strike here last Saturday week for the Ladbroke when five out of the seven favourites obliged, but were standing yesterday when five out of the seven favourites were beaten.
The "skinner" of the day was Dr Bones (25/1) having his first race since joining Michael O'Brien's stable and held on from the renewed challenge of Afarka in the Waterford Crystal hurdle. Once again, Irish juvenile hurdle form had been turned upside down.
The winner will be entered for the Triumph Hurdle, while the Cheltenham bumper was named for J P McManus's Fawn Prince after he had come from last to first in the straight to win a slow run Foxrock Flat Race.
Aidan O'Brien went on to clinch a bumper double when Promalee, who had supplanted stablemate Kilcoo Bay from favouritism, hung on by a dwindling short head from the original market leader.
Arthur Moore was another to have a double. The Quads won the opening long distance hurdle off bottom-weight, while Manhattan Castle, successful here last year in the Arkle, landed the Foxrock Handicap Chase. After he had won everyone was saying that 9st 13lbs was an astonishing lightweight for an Arkle winner!
Captain Neville Crump, one of the stalwarts of the Middleham racing scene, has died at the age of 86. Crump began training in 1937 after riding as an amateur. The peak of his career came after the war and he was Champion National Hunt trainer in 1951-2 and 1956-7. Sheila's Cottage won the Grand National for Crump in 1948, a feat repeated by Teal in 1952 and Merryman II in 1960.
Crump specialised in long distance chases as he also won the Scottish National five times, the last in 1983 with Canton, and the Welsh National twice. He retired in 1989.
Paying tribute, trainer Chris Thornton, a neighbour of Crump at Middleham, said: "He was probably the first really successful jumps trainer in Middleham and did a lot to put the area on the map as a training centre. He was one of the `old school' of trainers and was a great character.
