"All Time Greats" Hurricane Fly

Racing is brought together through the horses. A good horse will get recognition but a great horse will be cherished. Great horses are not easy to come by. In recent years both codes of racing flat & national hunt have been blessed with equine stars. From Sea The Stars to Frankel on the flat to Kauto Star, Sprinter Sacre & Hurricane Fly on the jumps scene, racing fans have been truly spoilt. This blog follows the career of one of the most outstanding hurdlers ever seen for generations, the incomparable & record breaking Hurricane Fly.

Breeding:

Hurricane Fly was foaled and raised at the Irish National Stud in Kildare. Bred by Agricola Del Parco. He was a son of champion flat horse Montjeu out of minor Italian winner Scandisk. His sire Montjeu is known by many as one of the best flat stallions of his generation where he sired four Epsom Derby winners. Montjeu also made his presence felt on the jumps scene as well as Hurricane Fly he sired the high class chaser Noble Prince. Hurricane Fly was bred to be a good horse. He is a half brother to black type placed pair Hunzy & ThunderWing also a winner over hurdles as well as Diskussion a six time winner in Italy.  Scandisk has a three-year-old gelded son of Shirocco, whose daughter Annie Power is making waves over timber. Scandisk also has a two-year-old filly & colt foal by Yeats, who topped the Tattersalls Ireland November sale when selling to Ben Case for €120,000. Hurricane Fly was sold for €65,000 as a foal. 

Hurricane Fly's second dam is Yankee Lady. She is an own sister to Group three Ballymoss stakes winner Yankee Gold & (then) Group two Pretty Polly stakes winner and Irish guineas placed Lady Singer.  Yankee Lady is the grand dam of Dan Breen. A Listed placed hurdler he was third in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices Chase & also the Grade 2 Celebration Chase. This is from the immediate family of Indian stakes winners Sea Gaze & Portmans Square. 

Two- Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly started his career on the flat in a two-year-old maiden where he finished second. Running four times as a two-year-old he finished second twice and was sixth and third on his second and final start at two.

Three-Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly returned as a three year old running out a four length winner of his three-year-old maiden. He followed that up winning a Listed race beating future champion stakes winner Literato. He was unable to follow that up in some Group 3 races. His final race in France before his move to Willie Mullins was a seventh placing in the Group 2 Prix Eugene on the 28th July 2007. Shortly after that Hurricane Fly was bought by Richard Hobson Bloodstock for George Creighton and Rose Boyce. 

Four-Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly made his eagerly awaited debut for new connections over hurdles at Punchestown on the 07th May 2008 in the Punchestown Maiden Hurdle. He won by two lengths and was the 9/10F. He returned to France om the 25th May 2008 for the Grade 3 Hurdle at Auteuil. He won by a Length with Ruby Walsh on board. Hurricane Fly returned to France again on June 22nd to contest his first Grade 1 over hurdles in the Prix Alain du Beril. Davy Condon was in the saddle and he was beaten just over two lengths, following him behind in third turned out to be star mare Quevega. Hurricane Fly started his amazing run off by winning the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Hurdle at Fairyhouse on November 30th 2008 beating Donnas Palm by a neck. He was 2/1F that day and young Paul Townend was in the saddle. Hurricane Fly had his final start that year in the Grade 1 Paddy Power future champions hurdle. He won by an enormous ten lengths beating fellow Grade 1 winner Go Native.

Five-Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly returned to action in the Grade 1 Evening Herald Novice Hurdle with Ruby Walsh in the saddle. He won by seven lengths beating fellow Grade 1 winners Kempes and Riverside Theatre. It was November of 2009 when Hurricane Fly had his second outing in the Grade 1 Madigans Hurdle he was beaten that day by star staying hurdler Solwhit. That was his only defeat in home soil. Hurricane Fly was then put away for another season. 

Six-Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly made his eagerly awaited return in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle Grade 1 at the Punchestown festival. He gained revenged on old foe Solwhit beating him by a neck. They beat Grade 1 winners Punjabi, Thousand Stars and Dunguib. Hurricane Fly & Solwhit locked horns again in the Bar One Hattons Grace Hurdle. Hurricane Fly emerged triuphant also beating Voler La Vedette. He returned again on the 29th December 2010 where he won the Grade 1 iPhone APP festival hurdle beating Solwhit for the third time by two lengths. 

Seven-Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly remained undefeated in his seven year old campaign. He started the season off by winning the Grade 1 Irish champion Hurdle at Leopardstown beating Grade 1 winners Solwhit, Sublimity, Thousand Stars & Voler La Vedette. After a frustrating few seasons not being able to bring his star to Cheltenham due to injury Willie Mullins finally got the chance. Hurricane Fly faced one of his toughest tasks. The English were well equipped with two equally cracking hurdlers in Peddler's Cross and Menorah both coming to Cheltenham unbeaten over hurdles. It was Peddlers Cross who cased Hurricane Fly up the hill but the latter always found more under pressure and won by little over a length. Hurricane Fly finally proved to the world what a champion he was. He finished that year winning the Rabobank Champion hurdle at Punchestown. 

Eight-Year-Old:

Hurricane Fly started his season off missing his intended run in the Morgiana Hurdle. He returned later that season prompting fears that Willie Mullins was not happy with his stable star. All seemed well when he won the Irish Champion Hurdle in a canter. However there were stills rumors circulating that Hurricane Fly was not the horse he was the year before. Things didn't go to plan in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham where he finished third behind Rock On Ruby. It was his first defeat in over three years. The Irish fans came back bitterly disappointed. Hurricane Fly bowed out with a very workmanlike performance in the Rabobank Hurdle in horrendous ground. It was clear after that race that he wasn't right. He returned that November in the Morgiana Hurdle winning by twelve lengths from Captain Cee Bee and followed that up with decisive wins in the Grade 1 Istabraq Festival Hurdle. Hurricane Fly was starting out his new season in much better style.

Nine-Year-Old:

By the Time January came Hurricane Fly was making his third start ahead of the 2012/13 jumps season. The Year before he was only making his seasonal debut in January of 2012. The reports circulating that Mullins was a lot happier with the horses preparation this time around and he was coming back a much stronger horse. That proved to be right. Following a third win in the Irish Champion Hurdle Hurricane Fly was back to try and regain his champion hurdle title. It was a tough task. The last horse to complete the task of Comedy Of Errors back in the 70's. The last three champion hurdle winners were in the field Hurricane Fly, Rock On Ruby the current title holder and Binnocular the 2010 champion. Zarkandar winner of the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle  and Cinders And Ashes winner of the Supreme Novices both in 2012 added further stiff competiton, The race in the early stages looked to be going horrendously wrong for the Irish champion as he was at one point three or four lengths adrift before being hampered by Grandoet. However Walsh's impeccable riding skills kicked in. He managed to get Hurricane Fly back on the bridle at the top of the hill and as they came down Irish eyes were smiling. He jumped the last two fences and won by just over two lengths. Hurricane Fly had defined the odds and regained his well deserved title. He again came back to Punchestown where he met 2012 champion hurdler and 2013 runner up Rock On Ruby. The Fly as he is affectionalty known put the race to bed in a matter of strides. The Hurricane was back. Hurricane Fly made his seasonal return in the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle beating Marito in a workmanlike fashion. He returned again on the 29th December in the Grade 1 Ryanair Hurdle where he would face two young rising stars in Jezki & Our Conor. Jezki trained by Jessica Harrington was the top Novice last year and subsequently finished third in the Supreme Novice hurdle to Champagne Fever and My Tent Or Yours. While Our Conor was an unbeaten juvenile hurdler with his finest performance coming at Cheltenham in the JCB Triumph hurdle  were he annihilated his opposition by fifteen lengths. The race was billed as a mouthwatering clash. However when push came to shove the two promising young stars had no match for the champion as he gunned them down and ran away to win by over two. Jezki was second while Our Conor was third.

Conclusion of a Champion and the future:

Hurricane Fly is the first horse ever to win a record eighteen Grade 1 wins. He has constantly beaten the best Irish and British hurdlers. Willie Mullins has stated that he has settled more in his races and seems to get better with age. It has been confirmed that he will take a similar route to last season starting with the Irish Champion Hurdle, then on to Cheltenham and then finally Punchestown in April. Punters feel that Hurricane Fly won't beat The New One or My Tent Or Yours who both have got off at the top level in the UK. While others believe Jezki & Our Conor will come on for the run. Hurricane Fly is the true champion and I personally think that if he shows up at Presbury Park then The New One, My Tent Or Yours, Jezki & Our Conor won't beat him. The Hurricane will unleash his force once again. He is a true champion and the best we may ever see.