The Morgiana Hurdle, now a Grade 1 event, is a two-mile hurdle race run each year at Punchestown. The race is often used as an early prep for both the Cheltenham and Punchestown festivals. The 2022 renewal will be on Sunday 20th November over at Cheltenham.
The Morgiana is the first Grade 1 race of the season in Ireland, an event that was first run over 2½ miles but one that at its shorter distance has produced a number of high-profile Champion Hurdle contenders which makes it a very important one not just for connections of the runners, but also for bettors too.
Since the year 2000 alone, the Morgiana has produced three Cheltenham Festival winners in the shape of Brave Inca and Hurricane Fly, both in the Champion Hurdle, and Nichols Canyon in the Stayers’.
Willie Mullins dominates the 2022 Morgiana Hurdle entries with seven of the eleven possible runners. The early Morgiana betting odds suggest that this could see the reappearance of Triumph Hurdle winner Vauban.
The French import was surprisingly beaten by Pied Piper on his racecourse appearance but he reversed the form at Cheltenham in March. He cruised to the front before the final flight and was ridden out to beat Fil Dor and Pied Piper by two and a half lengths and a neck. Vauban then extended his advantage over the runner-up to 4 lengths when confirming the form at Punchestown.
Other possible 2022 Morgiana Hurdle runners for Mullins include State Man, Sharjah and Sir Gerhard. State Man fell on his hurdling debut but has not put a foot wrong since, landing a gamble when winning the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March. He then stepped up successfully in class to win the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.
Sharjah won this race as a five-year-old in 2018 and again as an eight-year-old last season. He has not raced since winning the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown in December. Sir Gerhard has been thought more likely to go novice chasing this season and is currently 7-1 for the Arkle Trophy. The Mullins entries are completed by Echoes In Rain, Saint Roi and 2019 Morgiana Hurdle winner Saldier.
Gordon Elliott supplies three of the remaining four Morgiana Hurdle entries. The pick of his trio is Pied Piper, already twice a winner this season. Teahupoo finished a disappointing last in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and filled the same spot at Punchestown behind Honeysuckle. The only other trainer with an entry here is Noel Meade who could be represented by Jesse Evans, a Grade 3 Hurdle winner at Tipperary in October.
2022 Morgiana Hurdle Tips: Vauban 2.05 Punchestown (Sunday 20th November)
10 of the last 19 winners have gone off as favourite, often at a very short price, meaning the Morgiana hasn’t exactly been a race to make the punters rich even when using Boylesports Cheltenham offers or the likes. Favourites have gone off at a maximum of 5/4f, but also as short as 1/16.
What can statistics about the Morgiana Hurdle reveal to bettors about where value bets lie? Trends aren’t the be all and end all with big horse races like this, but it is better to know them than not. Here are some key stats that you should know:
The Morgiana Hurdle is regarded as one of the early season trials for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. It is often the first race of the season for previous Champion Hurdle winners and some of the leading hurdlers in Ireland.
Hurricane Fly first won the Champion Hurdle in 2011, prior to his first Morgiana Hurdle success. He won both races in the same season in 2012-13, the first horse to do so since Brave Inca in 2005-2006. Hardy Eustace, the Champion Hurdle winner in 2004 and 2005, won this race in 2008 while 2015 Champion hurdler Faugheen was successful in the 2017 Morgiana at Punchestown.
With Sharjah absent through injury, it was left to runner-up Zanahiyr to represent the Morgiana form at Cheltenham in 2022. After being soundly beaten by Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle, he was sent off a 28-1 outsider. He ran a solid race but was once again swept aside by the brilliant mare, eventually finishing a respectable third.
This is how Morgiana winners have done at Cheltenham since the year 2000, though in some cases the race has been used as a prep for the Punchestown Festival instead:
The Morgiana Hurdle is regarded as one of the early season trials for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. It is often the first race of the season for previous Champion Hurdle winners and some of the leading hurdlers in Ireland.
Hurricane Fly first won the Champion Hurdle in 2011, prior to his first Morgiana Hurdle success. He won both races in the same season in 2012-13, the first horse to do so since Brave Inca in 2005-2006. Hardy Eustace, the Champion Hurdle winner in 2004 and 2005, won this race in 2008 while 2015 Champion hurdler Faugheen was successful in the 2017 Morgiana at Punchestown.
With Sharjah absent through injury, it was left to runner-up Zanahiyr to represent the Morgiana form at Cheltenham in 2022. After being soundly beaten by Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle, he was sent off a 28-1 outsider. He ran a solid race but was once again swept aside by the brilliant mare, eventually finishing a respectable third.
Abacadabras allowed Gordon Elliott to finally end his long-time rival Willie Mullins’ stranglehold on the Morgiana Hurdle with an albeit unconvincing win in a messy renewal of the race. Popular veteran Supasundae made the early running, along with Jason The Militant who came in for plenty of support from a big price in the days leading up to the race. However, all this did was set the contest up for the big two in the betting. County Hurdle hero Saint Roi was easy to back at the off with the 10/11 favourite switched to the inside after a mistake at the last when it looked as though jockey Mark Walsh could have got a clearer run down the outer.
Despite staying on to the line, Mullins was denied 10 consecutive wins in the Morgiana Hurdle by Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud’s 13/8 second-favourite Abacadabras, who was all out to hold on by a neck. As at the Cheltenham Festival when on the reverse end of a narrow finish, and on his reappearance when turned over at Down Royal, he didn’t find much at the business end. Jack Kennedy had taken things up at the last on Abacadabras, but just half-a-length split him and the rallying 10/1 chance Jason The Militant in third. There was then six lengths back to Coeur Sublime on his reappearance with Supasundae dropping away tamely before the final flight.
Saldier made a winning return to action after more than a year out and extended trainer Willie Mullins’s record in the Morgiana Hurdle to 10 victories. Not seen since falling at the last when tackling ill-fated subsequent Champion Hurdle hero Espoir D’Allen in a Grade 3 at Naas, the Rich and Susannah Ricci owned five-year-old was only supposedly third best of the stable, according to bookmakers who returned him at odds of 7/1. However, Saldier retained plenty of scope for further progress and made plenty of that here.
After chasing the leaders and disputing third spot in the hands of Danny Mullins, he wasn’t fluent four and three flights from home but soon came under a drive. Saldier improved on the outside with a clear sight of the obstacles and led with a much better jump at the last. He only needed riding clear on the run-in as odds-on stable companion Klassical Dream faded to be third for a 1½ lengths victory over 16/1 shot Petit Mouchoir. The third Mullins runner, Sharjah, was back in fourth at 7/2.
The 2018 running of the Morgiana Hurdle was once again dominated by champion Irish jumps trainer Willie Mullins, the master handler declaring three of the 4 runners in the field.
Previous winner Faugheen was sent off 2/5 favourite with top jockey Ruby Walsh on board, but he was put in his place by the stable second-string Sharjah under Paul Townend. The pair travelled into the race nicely and hit the front full of running at the final flight, stretching away to score easily in the end by 7½ lengths.
Faugheen could only plod on for second place with Gordon Elliott’s Tombstone in third and Mullins’ third runner, Wicklow Brave, back in fourth.