Faugheen

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.

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. 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.

In 2008 as a foal, he was consigned to the Tattersalls Ireland Sale and bought for €4000 by Peter Quinlan. In June 2011, his brother Tom Quinlan sent the three-year-old gelding to the Goffs National Hunt sale and was bought for €12,000 by Meadowview Stables. He ran his first race in a point-to-point circuit in the colours of Thomas Hassett, who named him after a church near the Bohernamuck crossroads in County Waterford called Faugheen Chapel. After impressing on his debut Faugheen moved on to Rich and Susannah Ricci ownership in the summer of 2012 and was sent into training for Willie Mullins yard.

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".

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". Faugheen was subsequently the subject of support for the 2013 Champion Bumper without setting foot on a racecourse 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.

2013/2014 National Hunt season: Novice hurdles

In the 2013/2014 National Hunt season Faugheen was campaigned in novice hurdle races. He made his jumping debut on 17 November, 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.

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." He was again sent off at prohibitive odds but confirmed the expectations winning by four and a quarter lengths from Empire of Dirt. 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".

On 28 December Faugheen was moved up in class for the Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle graded 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 subsequently won his next 2 races, therefore the raise in class proved of little concern and Faugheen "maintained his unbeaten record in effortless fashion when taking the Novice Hurdle at Limerick". 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.

Cheltenham Novices' Hurdle

At his first Cheltenham Festival appearance Faugheen contested the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle – his first race at Grade 1 level – 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 second last 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.

The overall time of 4m 54.80s was the second fastest in the history of the race and both Faugheen with the front-runner Cole Harden who helped in achieving it, returned the next year at the Cheltenham Festival with victories in the Champion Hurdle and World Hurdle. After this race the already popular nickname "Faugheen The Machine" started to officially get used in news articles and in live commentaries e.g. Channel 4 commentator on Boxing Day.

Herald Champion Novice Hurdle

Faugheen's final appearance of the season was on 29 April and 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. Unlike Cheltenham, this time around he had to make his own fractions and set a decent gallop upfront. 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. 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 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...

After the race, Ruby Walsh said: "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". 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.

Ascot Hurdle

On his first appearance against more experienced hurdlers, Faugheen contested the Ascot Hurdle over 2m  3 ¹⁄₂ f 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. 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". After the race the William Hill made Faugheen 9/4 favourite for the 2015 Champion Hurdle.

Christmas Hurdle (1)

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.  Faugheen left a visually impressive feeling to his trainer Willie 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".

The performance's style was backed by substance recording the fastest overall time in this race over the Good-Soft going 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, 3/1 in 1952 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, 2/1 and 11/4 at their first attempts, respectively in 1971, 1976 and 2011.

Faugheen's groom, John Codd, who was taking care and rode him every day at Willie Mullins yard, commented about the task lying ahead in the Champion Hurdle "Faugheen’s got plenty of good horses to beat but he’s done nothing wrong and nothing’s beaten him yet" and reported that Faugheen "started to pick up work about three weeks before the Festival. He gives you a great feeling to ride. I used to ride Big Zeb and he’s a very similar type."

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 but a strong field of seven opponents remained in the race marking it the smallest field of the Champion Hurdle since double champion Night Nurse won his first crown in 1976, almost 40 years back. The rivals were 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: "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".

Faugheen was sent off as the 4/5 favourite after opening at 11/10 in the morning with late support coming once Willie 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.”

Coming into the home straight Faugheen found the extra gear and pulled clear of his rivals 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". 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″.

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 early on which left Arctic Fire no hiding place 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" and upped his career record at 11 wins from 11 starts(10 under rules).

Midway career

Trainer Willie Mullins was gearing Faugheen towards a future chasing career during his novice season "I would imagine he's a chaser. He wants fences to maybe make him drop the bridle and travel" and having his first career win in a PTP race which uses similar fences to those used for chase races, the transition was expected to be beneficial by Mullins who provided an explanation after his win in the Grade 1 Cheltenham Novices' Hurdle where he made a few jumping errors: "I think he wants fences. He has a disregard for hurdles, he just wants to go. Fences might make him respect things more".

However, Faugheen's career took a major turn as just before the start of the Punchestown festival in late April 2014, his stablemate Vautour "failed a late fitness test" according to Mullins, that made them switch targets during that week with Faugheen running instead in the early Tuesday's race Herald Champion Novice Hurdle which was over the 2 miles trip. In the race he was against a couple of Vautour's former rivals of which Faugheen "made light work" and made Mullins to reconsider his future prospect: "You'd have to consider staying hurdling with him next season. Looking at him beforehand, I thought he was a chaser, but there's no harm in having another good hurdler and that would certainly make you think that maybe he should stay at this game".

After winning the 2015 Champion Hurdle, Willie Mullins said: "There's no reason to go novice chasing when you have a hurdler as good as this" and later confirmed that Faugheen "won’t jump a fence for a long time, perhaps ever". In mid-October 2015 in an exclusive interview on At the Races owner Rich Ricci revealed that "Faugheen looks like a chaser, we all know that, but he has a sensitive back and was hard to keep fit as a younger horse, hurdling probably is the right way for him".

Defeat on reappearance

Faugheen made his return on 15 November 2015 in the Morgiana Hurdle and while the general racing public expected a clean sweep by the champion hurdler who was sent off as the 1/6 favourite, instead a "shock defeat" left even his trainer Willie Mullins surprised when Faugheen's stablemate Nichols Canyon, a two-times Listed flat winner in 2013 and four-time Grade 1 winner in his 2014/2015 novice season, took the lead and remained in the first spot for the rest of the contest. During the race, the tactical slow gallop set by jockey David Mullins did not help Faugheen's jumping as he awkwardly skipped over the third obstacle and a significant error at the second last hurdle put another two lengths between himself and his stablemate.

Sprinting for home the three Mullins-trained horses were all in contention, including Wicklow Brave who on his previous three starts finished third in the G1 Irish St. Leger and G2 British Champions Long Distance Cup, placed second in the Ebor, Europe's most valuable flat handicap and was an eight lengths winner at the Cheltenham Festival in the 2015 County Hurdle. When Faugheen was asked to go past his stable companion he couldn't, Ruby Walsh reporting: "from the first down the back he was hanging right all the way, it’s not something he’s done before". After the last hurdle Faugheen started to make progress and was reducing the gap but the finish line came in time for Nichols Canyon, half a length in front of Faugheen whose 11-race unbeaten run came to an end.

The surprising result made Willie Mullins question if the gallops Faugheen did few days earlier at Curragh might have been the reason behind his defeat "That worked out completely different from the way they worked on Tuesday. Faugheen left Nichols for dead – maybe he left his race behind, I don’t know". Furthermore, while Ruby Walsh's prediction a month earlier: "Faugheen's unbeaten over timber but somewhere along the way that may go" came true on his reappearance, the jockey found the actual defeat discouraging: "It’s disappointing, he didn’t pick up like he can, but that’s horse racing isn’t it? We always knew Nichols Canyon was a good horse. It’s just disappointing".

On 7 December at the Horse Racing Ireland annual awards, Faugheen was jointly awarded the title of Horse of the Year after tying in the vote with Don Cossack. The other Irish contenders for the award were Gleneagles – winner of the English and Irish 2000 Guineas, Legatissimo – 1000 Guineas winner, Nichols Canyon – a top novice hurdler, winner of five Grade 1 hurdles and Un de Sceaux – easy winner of the Arkle Trophy Chase. Trainer Willie Mullins was present at the ceremony along with Rich Ricci who received the award on behalf of his wife Susannah, who owns Faugheen.

Christmas Hurdle (2)

On Boxing Day Faugheen returned to winning ways in the Christmas Hurdle after his first run of the season where a hard prep work with only few days prior of Morgiana Hurdle and the waiting tactics behind a sedate pace, later emerged as causes for the defeat with Willie Mullins claiming that Faugheen "gallop before Punchestown was spectacular so I won't let him do that again". He became the fifth horse since 1969 to win back-to-back renewals of the Christmas Hurdle and faced four adversaries that included the best British hurdler The New One and Old Guard who was looking for a fourth consecutive victory after taking the Greatwood Hurdle and Bula Hurdle in his previous starts. Faugheen led all the way and approaching the last hurdle he pulled clear of the rest and won by seven lengths without being extended by Ruby Walsh who was relieved of the outcome: "Yes, that was old Faugheen. I caught hold of him going to the second last, he pinged it and then he quickened really, really well."

Irish Champion Hurdle

A month later on 24 January 2016, Faugheen made his debut at the Leopardstown Racecourse and it was for the first time in his three racing seasons when he run in the same calendar year prior to the Cheltenham Festival in which he was favourite for the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle with the main two dangers in the betting, Arctic Fire and Nichols Canyon also taking him on in this race. Arctic Fire was the 2015 Champion Hurdle runner-up and was considered by the official handicappers the main danger while Nichols Canyon was the only horse to have finished ahead of Faugheen in all of his 13 starts to date and was coming into the race on back of a victory in the Grade 1 December Festival Hurdle. The outsiders of the race were Plinth at 100/1 — Grade 2 Istabraq Hurdle winner at the start of the season trained by Aidan O'Brien and King Of The Picts at 150/1 — a previous season Grade 3 winner over hurdles who reversed back to the smaller obstacles after little success in his previous starts over fences.

The possible tactics prior to the race provided an ongoing discussion among racing fans, as both Nichols Canyon and Faugheen in their careers were keen to get in the lead but Ruby Walsh later explained: "I viewed it that if Willie Mullins wasn't training Arctic Fire or Nichols Canyon, what would I do? That's the way I rode the race". Faugheen went in front approaching the first hurdle but Nichols Canyon came alongside him and forced a strong pace right from the start and the two were closely followed by Arctic Fire. At the third-last hurdle the fight for the lead upfront was beginning to take the toll on the two outsiders who were starting to be left behind. After two more furlongs Nichols Canyon showed the first signs of getting tired following Faugheen's strong gallop and jumped the second last hurdle markedly to his right with jockey Paul Townend pushing along whilst Arctic Fire passed him. Faugheen moved on by four lengths and extended to ten at the last hurdle, at which he showed his characteristic disregard for the small obstacles making a blunder out of it, landing awkwardly but without losing his momentum and being eased off by Ruby Walsh in the last 100 yards, still finishing 15 lengths clear of the runner-up Arctic Fire with a further 13 lengths back to Nichols Canyon.

This marked the longest winning margin in Faugheen's career since his 22 lengths bumper romp and was only his third Grade 1 success in Ireland, with the other four all in Britain. The performance, described as "electrifying" by Willie Mullins and "mind-boggling" by Des McDonogh — trainer of the Champion Hurdle dual winner Monksfield, was enough for Faugheen's Cheltenham Champion Hurdle odds to shorten even further to as low as 1/4 and looked set to be sent off the shortest-priced horse in the 90 years history of blue riband hurdling event, following in the footsteps of the three time winner Sir Ken who at his second Champion Hurdle start back in 1953 was also sent off as the prohibitive 2/5 favourite.

Season ending injury

On 17 February, Willie Mullins announced that Faugheen has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a suspensory ligament injury, described by the trainer as "small injury, but just bad timing.. It really needs eight or nine weeks rest, and that would be plenty, unfortunately that rules out all of the rest of the National Hunt season". With his forced retreat for the campaign, Mullins was still left with the front three challengers in the Champion Hurdle market but his retained jockey Ruby Walsh explained: "It’s like someone whipping the ace out of the pack and handing you the rest of the cards". The injury followed the roller coaster events of Faugheen's season that started with the surprise defeat on reappearance and succeeded with the latest performance for which he was rated the best two-mile hurdler of the century by the official handicappers, as well as the private organizations Timeform and Racing Post. However, Mullins was optimistic about the prospect of Faugheen returning for the next season "The prognosis is very good.. We will just call it quits for this season and hopefully come back as good as new".

Race record

¹ Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle was upgraded to Grade 2 in 2015 after Faugheen and Martello Tower subsequently won at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season.