Rock On Ruby stuns Hurricane Fly, Binocular in Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham
Hurricane Fly (4-6 favourite) and Binocular (4-1 second favourite) stepped into the Stan James Champion Hurdle with a lot of expectations on their shoulders. However, the most preferred pair alongside the entire line-up was outsmarted by Rock On Ruby.
Paul Nicholls’ champion runner crossed eight hurdles convincingly to seal an emphatic win in the Grade 1 Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, held on the opening day of Cheltenham Festival, March 13, 2012.
It was a surprise outcome for the bookmakers, who rated Hurricane Fly and Binocular as top favourites. Rock on Ruby unlashed the best of his talent to put tremendous pressure on his rivals.
Overturn’s early dominance made it clear that Hurricane Fly and Binocular had no chance to upset the ultimate champion. Under Noel Fehily, Nicholls’ trainee was unable to gain an early lead, but he quickly became prominent.
At the final moments, the dashing gelding shifted his gears and achieved a handsome advantage. He was challenged inside the last few furlongs, but he had enough to knock down others.
Courtesy of his consistent performance all the way through, Rock On Ruby sealed top position by 3¾ lengths. The maverick gelding stopped the clock in three minutes and 50.10 seconds.
Nicholls and Noel Fehily were delighted to see Rock On Ruby upsetting big names to scoop winning prize worth £210,715.00.
"It's a brilliant team effort and it was a great ride from Noel," said Nicholls, who was represented by four runners: Rock On Ruby, Zarkandar, Brampour and Celestial Halo.
Fehily, who missed last couple of Cheltenham Festivals due to injury, added: "You know with Overturn that you are going to get a strongly run race so I wanted to stay close to him and I was bang up there. I schooled him during the week and he was so well
so it gave me so much confidence going into the race. I have missed the last two festivals and while these things are swings and roundabouts that makes up for it."
It was an embarrassing outcome for Hurricane Fly and Binocular, who finished third and fourth respectively. Ridden by Ruby Walsh, Hurricane Fly held up in the rear early on.
He kept the leading pair under pressure, but was unable to make an impression. Willie Mullins was also disappointed with his ordinary effort, saying:
"Going up the far side I thought he should be able to move up easy and he didn't do that."
Likewise, Binocular remained behind in the beginning. Although Nicky Henderson’s trainee recovered well, he stayed on one pace. There was an opportunity for him to finish strongly and grab at least third place on the chart, but a slight mistake took the
chance away from him.
Beating two top favourites was certainly an achievement for Rock On Ruby. The Cheltenham success would have boosted up his confidence significantly for the upcoming big events.
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