Faugheen return lights up Sunday

Selection in every race at Leopardstown

A competitive card at Leopardstown tops the Sunday racing bill and there looks to be plenty of value around for the eagle-eyed punter. We aim to help pick them out with our best bets, as well as a selection in every leg.

Race of the day goes in the form of the Grade One Irish Champion Hurdle, due at 3.30pm. Five runners are expected to contest, and it reads like a who’s who of the sport. Trainer Willie Mullins holds a strong hand in the form of three runners, most notably last year’s champion Faugheen.

The champ is back

Mullins and Walsh share a spectacular record in this race, teaming up to win each of the last five renewals, so it really doesn’t pay to oppose them in this sphere. The bulk of that success can be accredited to Hurricane Fly, who won the prize five times in-a-row. Faugheen took over 12-months ago.

The nine-year-old, showing a CV of 12 wins and a second from 13 starts, went off as hot-favourite that day, and more than justified his tag, trotting home unchallenged, with runner-up Arctic Fire coming 15-lengths behind.

The one slight question mark hanging over the star this year however is his time off track, as he returns to action following a year lay-off. Winning this race last time was impressive, but he has not been in competitive action since, and that rates as a real worry for connections who consider it a big ask to retain his crown.

Punters will be hugely interested to see how he returns from injury, and some may want to sit the race out as mere spectators, rather than get involved in him as favourite, but I have no such worry. We saw last time that, even a percentage of his best would be good enough, and I don’t think they would have brought him back for this if his team weren’t quietly confident.