After creating one of the undoubted standout moments of last season when rolling back the years to win at the Dublin Racing Festival, Faugheen is being readied to begin his seventh season with Willie Mullins.
The 12-year-old lifted the roof of the Leopardstown Grandstand with his thrilling defeat of stablemate Easy Game in the Flogas Novice Chase last February, having received an equally jubilant reception with his other Grade 1 victory of the campaign at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Although in the final years of his racing career, one that began with success at Ballysteen for Andy Slattery and the recently retired Roger Quinlan, a potential tilt at the Gold Cup could well be on his radar.
Faugheen is back in and he’s at 100%” said Mullins at Horse Racing Ireland's virtual season launch.
“John Codd looks after him every day and he’s over the moon with him. We’ll train him as normal and if he shows he’s got all the enthusiasm and ability he does last year, we’ll go again.
“He won two Grade 1s last year and placed at Cheltenham, which could have been closer on another day. Samcro and Davy put him in a bit of a pocket and that wasn’t ideal for him.
“I look at his form rather than his age and that’s what he’s showing us at home.
“The Gold Cup is a possibility. It’s a possibility. We’ll have to take it step by step. I don’t know even where we’re going to run him first. There’s a few second season novice chases.
“The Gold Cup would be the dream, it would be incredible. He could be a Ryanair horse, there are a few good prizes outside of Cheltenham.
“We’ve had him for eight years, John looks after him and rides him and he’d be able to tell us straight away if the fire has gone. But at the moment it’s still burning brightly.”
