Faugheen likely to miss Cheltenham Festival

Now 13, the 2015 Champion Hurdle winner met with a setback earlier in the season and he was not entered this week for the Ryanair Chase or the Gold Cup in March.

Having had his attentions turned to chasing late in life, Faugheen won two Grade Ones last season before finishing a close third to Samcro in the Marsh Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

Stablemate Douvan, another injury-prone star at the Willie Mullins yard, is also on the sidelines once more and is currently only in pre-training.

“They’ve both had setbacks. Faugheen is in the yard, he got clipped during the week. Cheltenham, with his profile, is it going to be tough?” assistant trainer Patrick Mullins said on Racing TV’s weekly Road To Cheltenham show.

“If it comes about, great, but I suppose Willie thought at the moment it’s unlikely.

“Douvan is in pre-training – he’s coming back from another setback, so at this stage it would be unlikely.”

Mullins jnr partnered Douvan to win a Grade One novice chase in 2015, and was also on board when in front but falling in the 2018 Champion Chase.

“I’ve been very lucky to sit on some very good horses, and I just think he is a different species,” he added.

“His race record does not really reflect how good a horse he was.”

Mullins also had news on useful novice mare Shewearsitwell, who is unbeaten in three but is also set to miss the Festival.

“Shewearsitwell is probably not going to make Cheltenham, which is a pity, as she has as much ability as the others,” he said.

“She had a bit of a setback. She missed the Royal Bond, and it’s going to be tight for Cheltenham, so it’s not definite she’ll make it – we’ll have to see.”

On a more positive note Mullins is looking forward to maintaining his partnership with Sharjah, who won a third Matheson Hurdle recently and is set for another crack at Honeysuckle before heading to Cheltenham.

“I’m definitely looking forward to a rematch with Epatante (at Cheltenham), but first we have to have a rematch with Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle,” he said.

“He was electric in Leopardstown. He has his off days, and that’s probably why he goes under the radar. I somehow got him beat in an amateur handicap at Galway this year, but on his day he’s as good as anything around.

“In a smaller (Champion Hurdle) field with a better gallop (than last year), I’d like to think that brings him more into it.”