WILLIE MULLINS intends to leave any decisions on Cheltenham plans for his star novice team until the last possible moment but it already looks likely that one of them, Hurricane Fly, will avoid taking on his elders just yet.
The ex-French star, currently a 5 to 1 joint-favourite with his stable companion Cousin Vinny for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in March, has also been touted as a possible for the big one, the Champion Hurdle.
Hurricane Fly also figures among the current entries for the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday week.
However, Mullins reported yesterday: “He will probably go to Leopardstown on February 8th for the Deloitte and Touche Novice Hurdle. He’s very exciting.
“He’s won two Grade Ones with us here and he’s very well at the moment.”
Cousin Vinny is set to appear at Naas on Saturday in the Irish Racing Writers Novice Hurdle where anything but a victory will be a major shock for last season’s bumper champion.
“He will probably run at Naas on Saturday. The ground will be demanding but he did win on that sort of ground last year,” Mullins reported of the horse who also holds a Cheltenham entry in the Ballymore.
“I am not deciding any of the novices targets at the moment. They will be entered in all the novice hurdles at the festival. We will see how they progress between now and Cheltenham and I will leave it till the last minute. I’d prefer not to make a decision until the overnight stage,” he added.
