Dunguib, the horse that once looked to have the racing world at his feet, happily returns from nearly three years on the injury sidelines at Naas today but could be denied a fairytale comeback by Rule The World.
This afternoon's six-runner Limestone Lad Hurdle shapes as something of superpower clash between champion owner Michael O'Leary and champion trainer Willie Mullins, both doubly-represented, with Dunguib a comparative plucky underdog in a Grade Three race named after one of Irish racing's most celebrated modern-day underdogs.
It's a long way from the eve of Cheltenham 2010 when Dunguib's potential looked limitless on the back of an unbeaten novice hurdle campaign which in turn had come on the back of a bumper career that even had Dermot Weld covetously admitting he'd love to train Dunguib for the Melbourne Cup.
'Great to get him started'
Supreme Hurdle defeat behind Menorah, and the fallout from that, was a prelude to just three more career starts, the last of them behind Hurricane Fly in the 2011 Champion Hurdle. "It will be great to get him started," trainer Philip Fenton said yesterday.
“We never doubted he’d come back but it took an awful lot of patience from his owners to stick with him. The bad news came each season.”
However, sentiment won’t stop most punters looking at Rule The World as an alternative. This race threw up the subsequent World Hurdle hero Solwhit last year and Rule The World is still as low as 16/1 in some ante-post lists for the staying championship despite having finished runner-up to Zaidpour over Christmas.
The way that race unfolded, Rule The World, who is joined today by his stable-companion and Ryanir Chase hopeful Rathlin, presented an ideal target for the winner and the drop back in trip could suit a horse with the class to chase home The New One in last season's Neptune.
