Drying ground led to a long list of non-runners on the final afternoon of the Christmas Festival on Sunday but it proved very much to the liking of Willie Mullins’s Sharjah as he emerged once again from the shadow of a better-fancied stable companion to record a second successive win in Leopardstown’s Grade One Matheson Hurdle.
Sharjah’s record extends to three Grade One wins as well as a victory in the Galway Hurdle, one of Ireland’s most competitive handicaps, without starting as the favourite even once. He has not been the clear market pick for any of his last 15 starts but rarely gives anything but his best and around this tight, flat two-mile circuit, Sharjah’s best is very often good enough.
Twelve months ago, Melon was sent off at 7-2, while Sharjah was a 6-1 shot. This time around, the apparent first string from the Mullins stable was Klassical Dream, last season’s Supreme Novice Hurdle winner, who was odds-on to return to winning form after a disappointing run at Punchestown last month.
Klassical Dream’s race was effectively over at the fourth flight, where a bad mistake cost several lengths and seemed to knock all the energy out of him. Sharjah was travelling easily throughout and moved smoothly into contention on the run to the last before staying on strongly to beat Petit Mouchoir by nearly four lengths.
“Klassical Dream stood off at that hurdle down the back and I thought he wouldn’t make it,” Mullins said. “He seems fine and Paul got him back into the race but the effort took too much out of him.
“I could see Patrick was really content the way he was sitting all the time. If he hadn’t been brought down [at the third] in the Champion Hurdle last year, he might have been second or third so he’s a good horse on nice ground.
“There was hardly a blow out of him there whereas when I went down to Klassical Dream, he was blowing hard, so he’s going to improve. He has to improve a lot but I think it’s still there and I think at this stage of his career he’s going to want much softer ground.”
Klassical Dream took a walk in the market for the Champion Hurdle after the race, out to a top price of 14-1 (from 5-1 overnight), while Sharjah is top-priced at 12-1 for the Festival in March.
The day’s other Grade One event, the Neville Hotels Novice Chase, was reduced to three runners from seven overnight declarations, with Minella Indo, last year’s Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle winner, the most significant absentee. That left Battleoverdoyen, the 4-9 favourite, with just one significant opponent in the shape of Champagne Classic, a stable companion at the Gordon Elliott yard.
The 9-4 shot made Battleoverdoyen work for victory, finishing only a length behind at the line, and while Battleoverdoyen is generally unchanged at around 8-1 for the RSA Chase in March, Champagne Classic is the new favourite for the National Hunt Chase with several bookies.
Lingfield
12.05 Agent Of Fortune 12.35 Roman Spinner 1.05 Elusif 1.40 Fizzy Feet (nap) 2.10 Winning Streak 2.45 Exmoor Beast 3.20 Fair Power
Haydock
12.25 Passam 12.55 Secret Reprieve 1.30 Ebony Jewel 2.00 Lord Du Mesnil 2.35 The Con Man 3.10 Charmix 3.40 Crypto
Taunton
12.45 Zoffee 1.15 Fuseau 1.50 Elite Garde 2.25 Silver Forever 2.55 Kilcrea Bridge (nb) 3.30 Normandy Soldier 4.00 Twenty Twenty
