Mikael D'Haguenet

toss up between CH and WH.
Gut feeling WH,but maybe if HF dont turn up,then CH?
maybe ground will decide,who knows tith mullins??!!

Hardly a toss up.
I'd love to get evs on him running on the world hurdle

or even in it

Couldn't back him in either race tbh.

In the WH he'd not beat BB or OW

In the CH he would not be several of them.imo.

Has to go the WH route, and after the w/end might consider backing him in the w/o BB market

People who do sectional times are confirming what my eyes are telling me, which is that this horse has tons of speed and can use it tactically, that makes him a perfect CH horse and not remotely a WH horse.  The defeat FTO this season, when he clearly needed the race confidence wise, was his only defeat ever in a regular hurdle race at distances up to 2m 5f.  He is also battle hardened enough for the CH with 20 career races under rules and 9 wins. Has to be CH for me.

Mullins ran him in the neptune (2m 5f) as a novice hudler not the supreme,(5yo)
Mullins ran him in the rsa chase(3m)as a novice chaser not the arkle,(7yo)
To say that is a toss up whether Mullins will run the now 8yo in champion or stayers is bizarre!

His runs this season have all been between 2 and 2 and half,and his last race at 3 he got well beat.
Based on that i think its a toss up as to which race they choose.

Ricci said yesterday its one or the other,they still havnt decided.

When you follow a horse and it loses it's way it's always a disappointment. Then there is the hope and anticipation of a revival. This horse is fast regaining his confidence and, I believe, is not to be underestimated. Whatever route he goes can only hope he does himself justice.

Looks like Mikey D is gonna get pricewised

Horse has no worthwhile form at 3miles so I'd say The Stayers is not a definite, trainer has plenty options for that race anyways. Whether he puts him up agaisnt The Fly is another matter as well. I don't think we will know until much closer, but according to owner it will be one or the other.

Lots of horses go on from what I still call the Sun Alliance Hurdle to the Champion, not always the next year either.  Few go on from the Supreme.  He may well have chosen to miss the Arkle as the horse was struggling to jump fences at speed.

Presumably Zaidpour will run in one and MDH the other.

He's very ground dependant and as ground will be at least g/t/s on day one (due to watering policy) I would imagine if he is to run at Cheltenham it would be in the CH, IMO

Not the force of old since the injury imho and will struggle to win any race at the Festival,slow jumper and would be taken off its toes by the 2 milers.

Interesting thoughts here....

http://starbets.ie/horse-racing/mullins-holds-the-key-to-conquering-big-bucks/

This fellow was mentioned in the Racing UK coverage on Sunday.  They haven't had the conversation yet as to whether MDH goes CH or WH but sounds like he definitely goes!  Expecting this one to run a big race wherever he goes as my Irish time figures(based on Raceform) show he is running faster now than when he won the Neptune.

Mullins Hurdlers - I reckon:

Champion H: Hurricane Fly
Mares: Quevega
World Hurdle: Mikael, Mourad, So Young
Not run: Thousand Stars and Zaidpour

MDH entered in the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran Park over 2m this Saturday.

interesting,heading for CH??

hope so, a fast 2miles is just what he needs.

It's not just me being insane thinking he should run in the Champion then?  As I said before, 9 wins from 11 starts over GB/Irish hurdles is a pretty potent profile, especially with valid excuses for the 2 defeats.  Meats the stats on career starts and wins that I outlined in the Zarkandar thread.  Is running very fast times.  More likely to get favoured give in the ground on day 1 too.

Too good to be true, has to run in the World Hurdle lol.

Took 170 on here ages ago,when HF had doubts,Still available at 90 if anyone fancies it.

Also backed him for WHurdle at big odds,but my gut feeling now is he goes CH.
Zaidpour i think will run in WH if ground suits.

Will Mullins run him against The Fly though?

Thought WPM as good as said World Hurdle last week, cant find the quote tho

BJG - No, whoever it was said they hadn't had the conversation yet.  Maybe it depends how he does on Saturday back at 2m?

GI - Why not?  He runs others against the Fly.  2nd in the CH is better than 2nd in the WH.  And if he should somehow beat the Fly, why would Mullins care, he'd have another Champion in the bag?

Owner was hinting World Hurdle yesterday on ATR

i watched his interview yesterday also, said target had not been decided yet.

true enough Thieves, he has plenty for the stayers anyway.

Mullins said World Hurdle? Lump on for the Champion, immediately...

Yep, I've made a vow to myself that I won't go out backing Mullins horses with multiple engagements this year until I can be certain of where they're running.

Also entered now at Navan Sunday in the Boyne Hurdle 2m 5f

Runs in Boyne Hurdle.  Looks like World Hurdle then...

Was there ever any doubt?He wud be outpaced on the first circuit in the champion!Often horses run well in what was the sun alliance hurdle and the year after the champion but I don't recall any running in the sun alliance(neptune) hurdle,then the RSA and then champion.
It does make me laugh just cos Mullins gives MDH an entry in a 2 mile hurdle at gowran(aswell as 4 stablemates),hence he must be going for champion

Horse is running some fabulous times without breaking a sweat but is unproven over 3m.  He has plenty of speed and he absolutely would not be outpaced in a CH!  Of course, if he gets the 3m then he is a huge player in the WH, big if though.

He has been impressive but beating some very moderate opposition tho imo,where did he record a "fabulous time"?

Punchestown and Naas, in both cases he ran 15L/mile faster than the second fastest race on the card.

nafc

what a tree of a horse

That was bloody awful,surely not his running.

They NEVER come back.

Punchestown is correct ,he had been placed well by Mullins all year,looking impressive but what did he beat?? rick,luska lad,head of the  posse??

There's no way he'll be going to Cheltenham now,beaten by the better horse today imo,
Thats as good as he is unfortunatlely,shame really,as he looked a top prospect not so long ago,
They should keep him fresh for punchestown,i wouldnt write him off as a chaser tbh,im sure he can pick up a few decent prizes this side of the irish sea,but there's no way he should go to Cheltenham

connections may go back on what they said and run Zaidpour in the stayers now after today.

What did they say please Giggsy, missed that quote

they said Zaidpour "would be staying on irish soil for the rest of the season". but since he is owned by the same people a MD (who now hasn't a hope in the race) they may now change their minds.

These are the quotes following his last 2 races from racing post (the latest being yesterday)...... wouldn't surprise me if there were conflicting reports from this stable but I would appreciate it if you could give me a link to said comment Giggsy

18Feb12 Gowran park   ( 16 Sft ,RPR163 )

Zaidpour did it well and dropping back to 2m wasn´t a problem. He showed a good turn of foot. He´s in the World Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle but there is no plan for him yet. - Willie Mullins, trainer.

26Jan12 Gowran park   ( 24 Sft/Hy ,RPR158 )

The tactics and the ride won it for him. The owners would like to go to Cheltenham, but it has yet to be decided whether it will be for the Champion or the World Hurdle.-W Mullins, trainer.

Barnsey - The owner said in interview on ATR last weekend that MdH would go for the World but they weren't sure about Zaidour yet.

it was in his racing post coloum today.

Thanks Stront, surely the Champion isn't a realistic possibility for him

Only that they'd probably want to run him and MdH in different races. But as said above, they've got some thinking to do after today.

stront - owner actually said that they hadn't had at the conversation yet but his own thinking was maybe World Hurdle.

Ok, thanks for the correction thieves.

Don't think he'll be thinking that now!

Thanks again guys, just read his RP column again and still cant see any mention of Zaidpour, if I'm going mad please point me to the rough area of the page it appears!

barnesy. at the bottom of page 13 he says "i think we might look at the domestic races over cheltenham or aintree".

Ah got it thanks, seems to fly in the face of all his and the owner's other comments, not a massive surprise from this yeard though obviously

mdh looked very much a bridle horse today. very little desire to  battle on and give mourad a fight. very furstrating horse this season mourad but showed something in line with his old form today.

dont think they should send zaidpour to the festival unless there is some bad weather and the ground is very soft. thats what he likes, leave him til  he gets his ground.

Whatever they do with the horse (MDH) I'd be amazed if they put the horse back over fences as it didn't work last time,Zaidpour is a stone+ better over easy ground and that's what I'd keep him on-Cheltenham or not.