Hurricane Fly a doubtful runner again????

I posted on the Irish Forum that i wouldn't touch the 8/11 A/P and would rather back him @ 1/2 or shorter on the day, i really find it hard to trust any of our trainers anymore to keep the public informed

Still a few bob up at 2.64 on here so maybe not too bad but.....

Did you see page 7 in todays RP? Justin O'Hanlons Dark Horses - FFS

Nope - no RP today


Did he put up Hurricane Fly and Big Bucks?

Put up Kilcrea

pphorseracing Paddy Power Racing
Paddy sd: "We just cant lay 'The Fly' while weve seen a lot of dough for Thousand Stars including a large cash bet from a connected punter."

Go away fkin bastard

Paddy sd: "We just cant lay 'The Fly' while weve seen a lot of dough for Thousand Stars including a large cash bet from a connected punter."

How come 'connected' punters can have what they like on and this unconnected punter was told I could have £10.84 max on Voler?  Don't they want the mug money???

All about the PR innit The Headmaster, prob took a score on it

You'll have done well to get a score on, BJG.

Daft race to price up anyway, Mr Power.  You honestly telling me that a well-connected punter comes in with a large cash bet on the 7/2 second fav with doubts about the odds-on fav from the same yard and you let him have it....but don't want to take twenty quid on Voler from a know-nothing.

You're either lying ...or plain@rsed thick.

Unaccompanied for me.

I know she is a 4yo, but she is built like a steeplchaser, and she receives an age allownace an sex allowance. Form of the Triumph is solid.

Just hope Weld runs her as she was meant to run in the Hattons Grace. Took 7's yesterday.

pphorseracing Paddy Power Racing
Istabraq festival hurdle market now suspended

pphorseracing Paddy Power Racing
Paddy sd: “weve now seen a lot of money for 1000 stars & until Willie Mullins can give people a bit more info, we're just too in the dark."

Let it never be said chaps that the WPMullins yard is not a gambling yard. I wont have a bit of it!

Wrecks my head though why he cant just come out and say wats happenin! Paul Nicholls is brilliant at it, lets the punters know immediately for the most part

At this stage WPM 100% knows wats runnin here and wat state they are in but still wont say anything

AGREED.

Paddy Power this afternoon suspended betting on next Thursday’s Istabraq Festival Hurdle after doubts emerged regarding the participation of ante-post favourite Hurricane Fly.

The Irish layers reported a surge of interest in Hurricane Fly’s stablemate Thousand Stars, and were forced to stop betting on the Leopardstown Grade 1 event.

Paddy Power, a spokesman for the bookmakers, said: “The cash has just kept coming for Thousand Stars and we are just too in the dark about what’s happening until Willie Mullins lets people know what’s going on.”

Trainer Willie Mullins has said little about his stable star but did leave him in the Istabraq Hurdle at Tuesday’s confirmation stage.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mullins said: “Hurricane Fly is left in the Istabraq Festival Hurdle. We’ve also left in Thousand Stars and I’ve really nothing more to say at this stage.”


wafdc

It is what it is. If I had a horse in training I would want things kept in the yard until I said any different. The trainers job is to not only train horses to the best of their ability but it's also to keep owners happy. We don't own these horses and we don't have to back short priced injury prone horses either. Nicholls has put people away every week with some of the stuff he comes out with. He talks a lot more I'll give you that.

can't remember who it was but someone put a thread
on horse racing saying HF was a doubt,even for Cheltenham.
People had a pop,me included,hope he's wrong but don't look
good if he misses this.

TBH I don't blame Mullins for wanting to keep his mouth shout as he seems to have a LOT of difficulty keeping horses sound in that barn.  Best not say anything until you actually manage to get them there, eh Willie?  Paul Nicholls doesn't seem to have the injury problems that Mullins does, so is probably a little more confident when publically nominating a target.

wish we had something over here that connections didn't mind sending over to play second fiddle to HF with but was good enough to smash the bl00dy life out of poxy thousand stars.

Whether he's doing it to scare away the oppostion for his other runner or to get a better price so he can get
a bet on 1,000 stars or just being plain awkward, it leaves a bad taste and does nothing to promote racing.

Last price matched for Cheltenham = 4.7

Probably small stakes, but still....

Indeed tinkler. Mr Mullins would do well to remember no punters = no racing = no need for trainers.

If there was something majorly wrong with Hurricane, wouldn't Willie not have taken him out of the race? Maybe he just doesn't want to tempt fate by saying its all systems go with the horse and then for the horse to have a setback. Maybe, its wishful thinking but I've a funny feeling that he'll run next week.

If the stable wanted to lump on 1000 Stars antepost, then entering HF would make perfect sense

Good point Headmaster. If Martin Pipe had had the injuries Mullins gets there'd be a whole series of Panorama dedicated to it. Pipe wasn't one of the in-crowd though.

Stake & Chips
If the stable wanted to lump on 1000 Stars antepost, then entering HF would make perfect sense.

I'd be very surprised if getting a price in a Grade 1 would be behind Willie's thinking. We're talking about the best hurdler we've seen for quite some time here and whatever it was which ruled him out of the Morgiana wasn't regarded as serious. Whatever about scaring away the opposition, that I can sort of understand but connections of all the other runners will know up to 10am on decs day whether Hurricane Fly is in the race or not so that doesn't make much sense either.

Naturally cautious. You can imagine the fiasco with Binocular in his champion hurdle year and New Approach when he won the Derby. Trainers have learnt their lessons.

Don't go along with that at all.  Of course some will be annoyed when a horse is absolutely ruled out and then miraculously turns up and wins, but is there much wrong with saying he's 50/50, we're struggling, he's banged a joint and it'll be a race against time...etc.etc.

I find Mullins' attitude regrettable and am increasingly finding him a very difficult person to warm to.  Not that he'd give a monkey's clearly

Could warm to Willie as much as Ferdy!!

Child of Mine : I don't understand how the other connections can know whether or not HF is to run or not in
advance of having to make a declaration for their own horse. Could you explain how it works?

Trainers talk to each other

Still an assumption that they would know, though.

Maybe 1000 stars has just got better and better?
I was very impressed with his last run.Obviously something
would have to be amiss with HF also.I mean not 100 %.
Thats how I would read it anyway.

Off subject I know but nowadays we are being put away more and more by stables IMO.Other than the silly odds ones I wait for NRNB now usually the morning on the day before the race.The way forward I think.

tinkler
Child of Mine : I don't understand how the other connections can know whether or not HF is to run or not in
advance of having to make a declaration for their own horse. Could you explain how it works?

On HRI'S declaration system, trainers can see what horses are and aren't declared right up until declaration time. That's why there are so many small fields in so many of the Grade 1's cos the big names seem to scare off the lesser horses.

bbsband, I suspect the reason is something to do with horse ownership. Perhaps there has been an increase in the    percentage of owners who can't afford, or don't want, to treat racing as a hobby. Perhaps they look to cover their expenses through betting and laying. Trainers can help them do this with the smoke and mirrors routine regularly employed by the likes of Mullins. Just consider the outcry from owners at the proposed new rule to prevent the laying of other horses in a stable where they have horses. Betfair has made things easier for owners to make money ante-post and more difficult for punters. The owners would argue they have the right to make money in this way as they are providing the horses for the punters' entertainment. If the latter don't like it they can stop betting.

There is no way owners should be allowed to Lay horses from a stable in which they have horses themselves. If they want to lay horses to lose they can sift through the damn form book and bet on on runners from other yards.

I agree, but, in a world increasingly led by ****s in the 'City', greed always lays regulation.
Happy Christmas.
Looking forward to seeing quality horses running in the second half of the season, hopefully including the Fly.

read merchant bankers

Thanks or the info Childofmine ,I never realised it worked like that.

Stil no news

Starting to look like a runner going by the market. Only peanuts all the same.

If he does run, will Willie take out Thousand Stars and save him for something else ?

And who wants to back HF at odds-on anyway ?

VLV definitley out as she runs tomorrow.

NR - sure we all knew that anyway, good man Willie for the updates

No Fly.

Shambles.

WAC

Hurricane Fly was ruled out of Thursday's race by Mullins who said on Wednesday morning: "I've decided not to run Hurricane Fly at Leopardstown and Thousand Stars will be our runner in the race."


Idiot still dont say wats goin on

He needs to at least give an indication as to when he may return imo, the horse is 9/4 Fav for March ffs.

The only guide to what the condition of this horse is and were it's going to run is the betting market,
Mullins doesn't want to inform anyone. Dreadful public relations and embarassing for horse racing given that
the horse is one of its stars.

He does realise the horse is a gelding doesn't he?  You'd think there was a stud career at stake the way he's carrying on.

Rancid individual - hope he draws a blank at Cheltenham.

Has been a non runner ever since the pile of cash came for 100 Stars (Nap)

Nail been struck firmly on the head there, Stakey.  The smoke and mirrors is bad enough but for the yard's second fav to (supposedly) be smashed off the boards stinks a bit, don't it?

I only hope Moon Dice, or anyone esle for that matter, shoves it up 'em tomorrow.  Sadly, TS is a very good horse.

Willie Mullins insists there are no problems with Hurricane Fly's wellbeing, despite the reigning Champion Hurdle winner missing another engagement at Leopardstown on Thursday.

Last seen winning at Punchestown in May, Hurricane Fly was ruled out of his first scheduled engagement in last month's Morgiana Hurdle and it had appeared uncertain whether he would line up in this week's Istabraq Festival Hurdle.

He was not declared after failing to impress Mullins sufficiently in recent pieces of work.

"He's grand and Paul Townend rode him out this morning," Mullins said on Wednesday afternoon.

"I just wasn't happy that he was straight enough to do himself justice.

"He's fit and well but he just hasn't worked well enough to run tomorrow.

"He worked against Thousand Stars on the Curragh last week over a mile and two furlongs and he needed it badly. After that I wasn't happy I had him in order.

"I told the owners that I wasn't happy with him and there was a chance he wouldn't run tomorrow. I left him in and decided to make a decision late on.

"As I've said before, he'll run when he's ready and not before.

"I want to get a run into him before Cheltenham."

Unaccompanied will serve it up to them HM, I hope. Fortunate enough to have placed my bet before PP suspended their market.

She is a 4yo filly but gets 10lb in allowances. Looks like a 3m steepchaser,though!!

Posted on the NH thread just in case I get put on the aftertiming thread!

Unaccompanied rated 142. On the face of it she stands a tough task on OR's. But you have to wonder why they are having a crack at a G1 and not saving her for the Pierse Hurdle or something ??

Triumph Hurdle form is solid, the 3rd home from her race lto has won, she gets 10lb in allowances but is built like a Colt. Hopefully she'll foil the Mullins gamble on TS !

take that Mullins.

Get in.

Well done Sint

cheers TT.

Nice one Sint

A pleasing result, made a bit more special by a very average ride from Walsh.  Hope that stings a bit, Mullins.

yep a poor ride from Ruby

You couldn't be blamed for believing that RUBY is the perfect jockey,
just after Kauto Star's win , but he has ridden badly on many occasions, one that springs to mind was the two Cheltenham races November and December against FONDMORT, well behind early and just fails but NEVER tries different tactics in second race, lay closer at the festival and just beat FONDMORT, proving how hard it was to give big starts.

What a sh it ride on Thousand Stars today, more Bradley Walsh than Ruby Walsh - allowing the race to develop olinto a sprint when you are on the most stamina laden horse in the race is a very poor effort indeed!

Personally didn't think Ruby walsh did anything wrong and delivered the horse to win, he just wasn't good enough. It looked to me like Unaccompanied won a shade cosily and if it comes up soft at Chelt he prob has some sort of chance.

10 pound concession in a decent race seems ludcrous to me

3lb age allowance, 7lb mares allowance.

In March she'll be 5 and only get the sex allowance, which seems very decent to me.

tinkler 30 Dec 11 14:39 
Personally didn't think Ruby walsh did anything wrong and delivered the horse to win, he just wasn't good enough. It looked to me like Unaccompanied won a shade cosily and if it comes up soft at Chelt he prob has some sort of chance.


All about opinions of course. Here's the comment at the bottom of the race in the Sporting Life website:

He held every chance before the final turn but was made to look a little one-paced by the winner turning in, and then didn't pick up immediately when switched to the outer for a run. He had dictated his own terms when winning last time over this trip and in hindsight connections may have tried similar tactics here.

From The Racing Post:

Thousand Stars, the even-money favourite, was closing at the finish but ran out of time as the line approached.

And the clincher, a quote from McCoy....

Walsh ran a sh it race, what was he thinking. JOCI Club was spot on in his post race summation. Should have kicked on much earlier or ensured a faster gallop to draw the sting out of the speed horses. I'll be giving him some grief in the weighing room. Best jockey...pah!

And one from the horse's mouth. Unaccompanied was heard next day whilst enjoying a pick of hay at the stables..

That was easy to be sure....was having a natter with Stan (Thousand Stars' nickname to his friends) before the race, and he told me that I'd be sweating like a rapist after the race as he was going to make a real test of it. After the race, he told me he was disgusted with the jock, who didn't let him push on. Eeeejit !

did Stan tell Unaccompanied what's going on with Hurricane Fly by any chance?

Insurance job - running in the AIG!