Tag Archive for: Maughreen

Leading Champion Bumper hope Maughreen ruled out of Cheltenham

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Leading Champion Bumper contender Maughreen has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a minor setback.

The daughter of Walk In The Park is bred to be smart, being out of a half-sister to the brilliant Faugheen, and could not have been more impressive when scoring by 11 lengths on her racecourse debut at Punchestown in January.

The five-year-old was disputing favouritism with some bookmakers to provide trainer Willie Mullins with a 13th Champion Bumper success at Prestbury Park – and while she will not be making the trip across the Irish Sea, connections are hopeful she will make a full recovery.

James Fenton, racing manager for her Closutton Racing Club owners, said: “The team at Willie’s just copped that she wasn’t moving correctly after a piece of work during the week, we’ve done a bit of investigating to see what was going on and we caught something very small.

“She’s by no means in any danger or anything like that, it’s an injury that I would take every day of the week. It’s very minor and the prognosis for it is described as excellent.

“She was going to Cheltenham, that was the plan. I discussed it on Monday night with Willie and a lot of the members had their plane tickets booked and everything, but they’re very understanding as that’s the game we’re in.”

On whether Maughreen could run later in the spring, Fenton added: “It’s up in the air at the moment, but there’s one thing we won’t be doing and that’s putting pressure on her.

“She’ll be well looked after, we’ll get her right and we’ll kick on again. We’ll just have to reassess her after two weeks and I would expect her to make a full recovery.”



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Maughreen’s next move will be left up to Mullins

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Maughreen has bounced out of her stunning debut win in great shape but future plans for the exciting mare have still to be discussed.

Out of an unraced half-sister to 2015 Champion Hurdle winner Faugheen, there was always going to be plenty of attention on her when she hit the track.

She did not let members of the Closutton Racing Club down with a perfect performance at Punchestown, cruising clear under Patrick Mullins to win by 11 lengths.

Like Faugheen, she is trained by Willie Mullins – and James Fenton, who manages the syndicate, is happy to leave future targets up to the champion trainer.

“From day one, she was always professional. She’d been working well at home but had never shown us as much as that,” said Fenton.

“There’s never been any fuss with her, she’s been very straightforward. Obviously, she’s by Walk In The Park and she has the size, scope and pedigree to match.

“I pay a lot of heed on the cross of the stallion to the dam’s sire. Her dam’s sire is Goldmark and that cross works for me.

“I actually didn’t know what her pedigree was; once I like an individual, I like them and I just knew she was a Walk In The Park. When I looked into her pedigree, it was a bonus.

“Genuinely, I normally leave the planning up to Willie. I’d be up for keeping her to her own sex.

“There’s a lot of talk about Cheltenham but we had a very good bumper mare two years ago in Ashroe Diamond and she fits a similar profile for me (went on to win at Aintree). Ultimately, Willie will make the decision and we’ll discuss it over the next few weeks.”

Crucially, Maughreen has taken her first race in her stride.

Patrick Mullins returns on Maughreen
Patrick Mullins returns on Maughreen (PA)

Fenton said: “She’s come out of her race well, they are very happy with her and again, she’s just been very professional. There’s a lot of valuable mares’ bumpers and we wouldn’t be over-racing her this year in the hope she comes back good and strong next year.

“There’s 100 shares in the syndicate. Every year, we throw the few quid that we make into a dividend and start from scratch again.

“A couple came over from England yesterday and there’s great camaraderie in the club, over the last few years we’re working at a strike-rate of about 40 per cent and everyone is really enjoying it.

“Last year, we had Shewearsitwell, she was third in the Grade One but was coming towards the end of her career and I just had to say we might be a bit slow now as I needed to rebuild the stock.

“In fairness, they understood and were patient. We’ve seven mares in training and hopefully they’ll all be out in the next few months.”

Fenton was, though, keen to clear up where Maughreen’s name came from.

“There’s a lot of people think Maughreen is named after Maureen Mullins but that’s not the case, I said to her I wouldn’t like that pressure on her,” said Fenton.

“She’s named after a next-door neighbour of mine called Maureen O’Brien from Castlelyons.

“It was an emotional day for me yesterday, as she was like my mother growing up and she died a couple of years ago.

“I always told her someday I would have a horse named after her and her favourite horse was Faugheen and it just happened the way it worked out.”



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Maughreen shows plenty of family ability in dazzling debut

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Maughreen – a mare out of a half-sister to the brilliant 2015 Champion Hurdle winner Faugheen – made a most impressive racecourse debut at Punchestown.

Trained like Faugheen by Willie Mullins, the five-year-old was sent off the 1-2 favourite in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Flat Race and the result was never in any doubt.

Kept wide throughout by Patrick Mullins, it was not until the field straightened up for home that Maughreen gave an inkling of what she could do.

The moment she was asked she immediately picked up and without any real effort from the saddle, she had shot 11 lengths clear of Harrys Annie.

Maughreen was swiftly cut in the Champion Bumper market by Paddy Power to 10-1 from 20s.

Maughreen with members of the Closutton Racing Club
Maughreen with members of the Closutton Racing Club (PA)

Patrick Mullins said: “She was very impressive. She was very professional, settled great and quickened up lovely. She handled the ground well.

“Her work was good, but that is probably even better than what she was doing at home. With that pedigree the owners are entitled to get more than a bit excited.

“We’ll go for black-type bumpers and everything is on the table. The DRF (Dublin Racing Festival) might come a bit soon and there is Fairyhouse, Punchestown and Aintree. I think she is entitled to take her chance.”

Maughreen completed a double on the day for the champion trainer, who also took the opening Bet Victor Proud To Support Irish Racing Maiden Hurdle with Highwind.

The juvenile effectively had to win the race twice, as with the race seemingly in the bag he made a hash of the final flight.

It was to his credit that when Sean O’Keeffe asked him again he still had plenty left and the 6-4 favourite beat Pigeon House by two and three-quarter lengths.

Sean O'Keeffe with Highwind
Sean O’Keeffe with Highwind (PA)

The winner was cut to 16-1 from 25s for the Triumph Hurdle by Betfair.

“It wasn’t without a scare, but he has a nice engine and a bit of class. He did it nicely at the finish,” said O’Keeffe.

“He knuckled at the back of the second-last and the same at the last. He went and won his race before doing that at the last but once they came to him, he picked up well again.

“He’s a laid-back horse and stays well. He’s a horse with a nice future and there will be plenty of improvement in him.”



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