Three Stars Clash in Morgiana Hurdle on Sunday

While all eyes are on Cheltenham this weekend, potentially the most mouth-watering clash of the week comes over in Ireland at Punchestown on Sunday. The Morgiana Hurdle is a Grade One hurdle, and always brings together a very good field. This season we have Samcro trying to bounce back from disappointment, Faugheen and Supasundae all coming together in what looks set to be a classic.

Samcro was the talking horse all season last season, and firmly backed that up on the course. He won at the Cheltenham Festival and his only disappointment was when he fell at this course on his final start of the season. He came back and was hugely disappointing first time out this season, he certainly deserves another chance but there are doubts about whether two mile hurdling is where we will see him at his best. He is bred to be a chaser, and looks as though he will get a lot further than two miles. The path he takes this season is likely to be decided on the result of this race.

Faugheen is another horse who will have his season path decided after this race. He has won a Champion Hurdle over two miles but now he is a ten year old, he appears to have slowed down and the best we saw from him last year was over three miles when winning at this course in April. Where ever he goes, he will always have plenty of fans and there would be a huge roar if he managed to win this race.

The third member of this big clash is Supasundae, a horse who finished second over three miles at the Cheltenham Festival last season, before dropping back to two miles and winning at the Punchestown Festival. This is an incredibly talented horse, and perhaps one that may be a little underestimated in the field with the presence of the big two.

Reputations are on the line here, and plans are likely on hold until we see how each of the big three run in this race. Whether it is two miles or further in the future doesn’t matter, on Sunday the three of them clash in what should be a classic at Punchestown.