Only four lined up for Leopardstown's Ryanair Hurdle but it turned into a fascinating head-to-head between Nichols Canyon and Identity Thief that firmly put the lie to any presumption of small fields being automatically boring.
Nichols Canyon ultimately justified 2-5 odds by a couple of lengths to inherit Hurricane Fly’s crown in the final-day Christmas festival feature but it was only after an intriguing duel that also catapulted Identity Thief firmly into the Champion Hurdle picture and had jockeys of all descriptions eagerly indulging in post-mortems.
Grandstand jockeys pondering what might have been if Bryan Cooper had been able to manoeuvre the runner-up ahead of Nichols Canyon on the turn-in had lustrous company in the speculation stakes as Willie Mullins also pondered if Ruby Walsh might have made a premature move before that on the winner.
Cat-and-mouse
All of it formed part of an intriguing cat-and-mouse narrative from the start between the country’s top two riders.
While Windsor Park and Plinth seemed to accept their role as ‘extras’, Cooper was determined not to allow Nichols Canyon a repeat of the frontrunning solo that had helped him lower Faugheen’s colours in the Morgiana over a month previously.
However, turning down the back Walsh was determined not to allow Cooper slow things up and took over in the lead, forcing the issue with Nichols Canyon and producing one particularly long jump five out that Mullins reckoned must have taken a lot out of even his particularly dogged star.
“Ruby made a positive move on him and I was wondering if he would empty,” the champion trainer said afterwards. “To me that must have used up a lot of petrol and I’m not sure we would do that again. From Ruby’s perspective, he didn’t want Bryan slackening the pace off. And it’s easy to ride them from where I was standing.”
If that constituted a rare public divergence of opinion between the sport’s leading partnership, there was unanimity that Nichols Canyon proved yet again he has grit to match his class after rallying from being headed after the second last and emerging best following a prolonged slog up the straight.
“He doesn’t have the same zip and speed as Hurricane Fly but he is getting into that realm of ability,” said Mullins in comparison to the retired legend, who won the Ryanair in four of the previous five years.
“I thought he was finished after the mistake two out but Ruby maintained his position inside and that allowed him get a little breather on the bend. He’s not the biggest but he’s hugely aggressive. Other horses would have backed off but he put down his head. Running on the flat taught him that and such experience is huge in a situation like that,” he added.
With just seven previous races under his belt, experience was the one thing Identity Thief conceded to his rival but having his Cheltenham odds slashed to 12-1 indicates he too is now a serious Champion Hurdle player.
Gruelling races
“He is improving so much with every run and I think the ground today was probably in the other horse’s favour rather than ours,” said Henry de Bromhead who, like Mullins, will take his time pondering whether or not to run in next month’s Irish Champion over the same course and distance.
Both principals had gruelling races in heavy conditions and of all the post-race bookmaker reaction perhaps most significant was the general tightening of Faugheen’s odds on retaining his title in March to as low as 4-6.
Michael O’Leary narrowly failed to keep the majority share of the Ryanair prize money with Identity Thief but the day’s other Grade 1, the Neville Hotels Novice Chase, saw a much more straightforward four-runner affair as Gigginstown’s 4-9 favourite No More Heroes won easily.
Unlike Don Poli’s Lexus effort on Monday, Cooper had an armchair spin on the winner who is a general 3-1 favourite for Cheltenham’s RSA.
Festival target
“Of the horses I’ve ridden, when it comes to jumping, he’s as good as any of them,” said the jockey, who bounced back from Don Cossack’s King George fall on St Stephen’s Day to notch a Grade 1 Christmas double.
Trainer Gordon Elliott secured his own second top-flight prize of the holiday period and indicated the RSA will be No More Heroes’ likely festival target although all options, including the four-mile National Hunt Chase, will be kept open.
“He is a proper big, old-fashioned chaser. He’s very laid-back. Hopefully we’ll have a lot of good days with him,” Elliott added.
Gigginstown brought their holiday tally at Leopardstown to seven after Lucky Pass justified short odds in the bumper under Patrick Mullins, who memorably rode his first hat-trick on St Stephen's Day.
The champion amateur drew comparisons to Don Poli about Lucky Pass' laidback attitude and while his father, Willie Mullins, agreed, he also said: "He seems to like that ground and I'm just hoping he's not a slave to it."
Jessica Harrington had the 1-2 in the Grade 3 mares hurdle although it was the 14-1 Keppols Queen who emerged best under jockey Mark Bolger while JP McManus brought a successful Christmas festival to a close with a sixth winner courtesy of the Elliott-trained Squouater.
