Faugheen

Faugheen (foaled 2 May 2008) is an undefeated Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competes under National Hunt rules. After winning a Point-to-point race as a four-year-old and a National Hunt Flat race a year later he emerged as a leading Novice hurdler in the 2013/2014 National Hunt season, winning all five of his races including the Liberty Insurance Novice Hurdle, Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle and Herald Champion Novice Hurdle. In the following season he won the Ascot Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle before defeating a strong field to win the Champion Hurdle. He has acquired the nickname "The Machine".

Background

Faugheen is a bay gelding with a white blaze and white socks on his hind legs bred in Ireland by Dr John Waldron. He was sired by Germany, an American-bred, German-trained horse who won the Grosser Preis von Baden and the Bayerisches Zuchtrennen in 1995. As a breeding stallion he sired several good National Hunt horses including Captain Cee Bee whose win have included the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Ryanair Novice Chase.^[2]

Faugheen's dam Miss Pickering was an unraced daughter of the leading National Hunt sire Accordion and a descendant of the broodmare Meraline, making her a distant relative of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Saumarez.^[3] Faugheen is the only winner she has produced to date and hails from the family of the 1973 Group Three Premio Royal Mares winner Ombra Del Sol, herself the dam of the 1981 Old Newton Cup winner Dogberry, and the seven furlong Listed winning pair Borderline and Sapper.^[4]

As a foal, Faugheen was consigned to the Tattersalls Ireland sale and bought for €4000 by Peter Quinlan.^[5] In June 2011, the three-year-old gelding was sent to the Goffs National Hunt sale and was bought for €12,000 by Meadowview Stables.^[6] Faugheen entered the ownership of Rich and Susannah Ricci in the summer of 2012 and was sent into training for Willie Mullins yard.

Racing career

Early career

Faugheen was trained by Andrew Slattery when he began his racing career on the amateur Point-to-point circuit. At the Ballysteen meeting on 29 April 2012 he started 2/1 second favourite for a three mile maiden race and won by eight lengths from Ballingarrow. Afterwards Andrew Slattery reported that "this is a real good horse who is still very backward, he is only eighty percent fit, but his homework has been very good".^[7]

Later that year Faugheen entered Mrs S Ricci ownership and was sent into training with Willie Mullins at which he "was held in high regard".^[8] Faugheen was subsequently the subject of support for the 2013 Champion Bumper without setting foot on a racecourse ^[9] with the yard connections reporting that he won impressively a schooling bumper but after an absence of over a year due to injury the gelding returned on 11 May 2013 in a twenty-two runner National Hunt Flat race at Punchestown Racecourse. Ridden by his trainer's son Patrick Mullins, he started 11/8 favourite and accelerated clear of his opponents in the last quarter mile to win by twenty-two lengths from Josses Hill.^[10]

2013/2014 National Hunt season: Novice hurdles

In the 2013/2014 National Hunt season Faugheen was campaigned in novice hurdle races. He made his seasonal debut on 17 November 2013, ridden by Ruby Walsh he started the 1/5 short favourite for a race over two miles and six furlongs at Punchestown. After keeping tabs on the leaders throughout the race Faugheen was still on the bridle as he coasted clear in the home straight. The only danger appeared to be at the last obstacle at which he took an untidy jump but was still well on top off the out of depth adversaries without Walsh asking for any serious effort out of his mount.^[11]

Three weeks later he was entered for the Meath Novice Hurdle over two and a half miles at Navan Racecourse. Ruby Walsh beforehand said that Faugheen "absolutely bolted up at Punchestown on his first run of this season and the third, Oscar Chimes, won since in Thurles, so the form doesn’t look too bad" and reported that he had "worked really well during the week and is, without doubt, the reason I’m staying at home."^[12] He was again sent off at prohibitive odds but confirmed the expectations winning by four and a quarter lengths from Empire of Dirt.^[13] After the race Walsh said "He jumped better today but there is still room for improvement. He'll keep learning and the only way he'll do that is through racing so that's why Willie wanted to come here first before going for a graded race. He deserves his chance in the big time".^[14]

On 28 December 2013 Faugheen was moved up in class for the Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle Grade 3 event over three miles on heavy ground at Limerick Racecourse. By this time, the previously beaten horses started to frank the form, leading with the bumper 22 lengths runner-up Josses Hill who was purchased for £100,000 and who subsequently won his next 2 races ^[15] therefore the raise in class proved of little concern for Faugheen who "maintained his unbeaten record in effortless fashion when taking the Novice Hurdle at Limerick"^[16] his price getting cut into as low as 5/1 for the Neptune Novices' Hurdle. Ridden by Emmet Mullins, the nephew of Faugheen's trainer, he led from the start and won by five lengths from The Job Is Right despite jumping poorly at several of the obstacles.^[17]

At the Cheltenham Festival on 12 March 2014, Faugheen contested the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs where he started as the 6/4 favourite against fourteen rivals headed by Red Sherlock and Rathvinden, the first and second place finishers in the Classic Novices' Hurdle. Ruby Walsh tracked the front-runner Cole Harden before taking the lead at the third last at which he blundered but managed to stay upfront putting in another awkward jump at the next hurdle while horses from off the pace were starting to make their presence felt in behind. At the turn Walsh asked his mount for the final effort and Faugheen responded by steering away from his rivals and finishing four and a half lengths at the line ahead of Ballyalton and Rathvinden who were both kept off the pace throughout the race.^[18]   Walsh commented "There’s a lot under the bonnet and when you ask it’s there. It was a smashing performance".^[19] After this race the already popular nickname "Faugheen The Machine" started to officially get used in news articles ^{[20][21][22] [23]} and in live commentaries e.g. Channel 4 commentator on Boxing Day.^[24]

On his final appearance of the season, Faugheen started the 1/2 favourite when dropped down in distance for the Grade 1 Herald Champion Novice Hurdle over two miles at the Punchestown Festival on 29 April 2014. Unlike Cheltenham where he tracked the pace for most of the race, this time around Faugheen had to make his own fractions upfront and set a decent pace for the rest to follow. Just before the home turn Ruby Walsh asked him to extend the lead and the response was instant, pulling clear of the pack in the home straight, Walsh was back on the bridle after jumping the last and started to pat him in the last 100 yards still finishing twelve lengths in front of his stablemate Valseur Lido.^[25] According to the Racing Post he was an "incredibly easy winner... pulverising his rivals with an emphatic display of acceleration". Timeform also cemented that view in their race analysis:

FAUGHEEN (IRE) is of the type who don't come around very often, adding another string to his already loaded bow as he had no problem at all dropping to 2m, demolishing a field of very useful rivals with a performance that had to be seen to be believed, even his previously questioned jumping looking an asset under front-running tactics, enjoying things his own way to a some extent but, as in the Neptune 7 weeks earlier, looking out of the top drawer when all said and done;

Ruby Walsh commented "I was fairly adamant that the run at Cheltenham would improve him jumping-wise and that proved to be as he jumped like a buck today. I think Willie is keen to go jumping fences with him but he's in the mix now [for the Champion Hurdle] - it will have Willie scratching his head".^[26] Willie Mullins confirmed later that day: "he´ll stay hurdling next season. He´s a keen horse and likes to get on with the job so he could well stay at this trip." earning him Paddy Power quotes of 5/1 co-favourite with The New One and stablemate Vautour for the 2015 Champion Hurdle.^[27]

2014/2015 National Hunt season

Ascot Hurdle

On his first appearance against more experienced hurdlers, Faugheen contested the Ascot Hurdle over 2m 3½f on 22 November 2014. As in most of his previous races, he took the lead from the start and was never seriously challenged, winning by three and three-quarter lengths from the Nicky Henderson-trained Blue Fashion.^[28] Mullins later said: "Dan Skelton, who stood in for me on the day, remarked to Ruby (Walsh) that he'd never saddled a horse as fat as that for a big race. If he can do that with that amount of condition on him there must be huge improvement in him".^[29] After the race the William Hill made Faugheen 9/4 favourite for the 2015 Champion Hurdle.^[30]

Christmas Hurdle

Faugheen's next start was the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day over two miles at Kempton in which he started at 4/11 short price favourite with his main opposition looking to come from the Fighting Fifth Hurdle winner Irving. He tracked the front-running Blue Heron before taking the lead approaching the second last hurdle and drew away in the straight to win by eight lengths from Purple Bay, the winner of the Elite Hurdle who was officially rated the second best horse coming into the race.^[31]  Faugheen left a visually impressive feeling to his trainer W P Mullins: "I was very impressed and I think I still have plenty left in the locker for him to improve. The only thing was Ruby let him fiddle the last but he was only being safe".^[32] The performance's style was backed by substance recording the fastest overall time in this race over the Good-Soft going ^[33] which caused his odds to shorten again in the Champion Hurdle market at a general price of 5/4, the shortest priced horse in history at the first attempt of winning the Champion Hurdle without previously encountering any of his main rivals, with the prolific 3 times winners Hatton's Grace, Sir Ken and Istabraq sent off at 100-7 in 1949,^[34] 3/1 in 1952 ^[35] and respectively 3/1 in 1998, while the other 3 times winners of the Champion Hurdle Persian War and See You Then weren't sent off as favourites on their first attempts. 2 times winners Bula, Night Nurse and Hurricane Fly started at 15/8,^[36] 2/1 and 11/4 at their first attempts, respectively in 1971, 1976 and 2011.

Champion Hurdle

On 10 March 2015, Faugheen was bidding to become the Champion hurdler after being the Novice Champion of the previous season. His reputation and unbeaten record scared most of the opposition away^[37][38] but a strong field of seven opponents remained in the race marking it the smallest field of the Champion Hurdle in over 30 years, headed by the best british hurdler The New One who was unbeaten since the 2014 Champion Hurdle, dual Champion Hurricane Fly who was unbeaten in the current season and current Champion Jezki. Ruby Walsh kept the decision to ride Faugheen as late as the declarations stage on Sunday before the opening day and compared it to the tough decision of choosing between Kauto Star and Denman:^[39] "It was a massive call not to ride Hurricane Fly. When you see what Hurricane Fly was doing at home, it was a big call to get off him".^[40]

Faugheen was sent off as the 4/5 favourite after opening at 11/10 in the morning with late support coming once W P Mullins took the first two G1 races on the card. Faugheen was again forced into the role of front runner but was allowed to set a moderate pace in the early stages of the race. After making some clumsy errors at a couple of hurdles he started to pick up the speed in the back straight with his jumping improving considerably at a faster pace until 2 out at which he blundered allowing Jezki and The New One to gain advantage on the outside, Ruby Walsh reporting: “When Jezki and The New One came up beside me, they didn’t go by me. He was straight back on to it, and away with him. He’s just a very, very good horse, with a mighty engine.”^[41]

Coming into the home straight Faugheen found the extra gear and pulled clear of his rivals^[42] never looking in danger with his stablemate third-string Arctic Fire the closest finisher and flattered by the margin at the line after being kept off the pace throughout the race: "He was a length and a half behind, but Walsh felt his mount was idling having been in front for so long".^[43] Faugheen became the first Champion Hurdle winner that had previously won a graded race over 3 miles and also the first Point-to-point winner that went on to win the crown. Willie Mullins commented: →″We looked at the race and we thought no-one probably wanted to make it, and Ruby just thought it might be the thing to do. I was happy once he was happy to do it. I wasn’t concerned at any stage, I thought he was well in control all the time″ →″Faugheen was just awesome today and we know he's still improving″.^[41]

Punchestown Champion Hurdle

In his last race of the 2014/2015 campaign, Faugheen competed in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle against the smallest field he ever encountered with only 3 rivals opposing him. The former Champion Hudlers Hurricane Fly and Jezki were routed to the staying division after failing to make an impression against Faugheen last time out at Cheltenham, while the runner-up that day Arctic Fire was the only credible danger in this race. Faugheen once again had to make his own pace upfront but unlike Cheltenham where Ruby Walsh made it a tactical affair, this time around he applied a much faster pace from early on which left Arctic Fire no hiding places and finished 8 lengths behind Faugheen who was still on the bridle at the business end. Ruby Walsh described Faugheen as "my idea of perfection"^[44] and upped his career record at 11 wins from 11 starts(10 under rules).

Race record

Pedigree

References

External links

• Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart – Faugheen