The Willie Mullins-trained MONKFISH made a winning return to the track at Gowran Park on Thursday in the Galmoy Hurdle, after being off the course for 273-days . It was also the horse’s first success since winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival and the bookies have reacted by cutting his Stayers’ Hurdle odds to 10/1.
Monkfish Makes A Splash In Galmoy Hurdle and Cut In Stayers’ Hurdle Betting
Prior to Thursday 25th January, horse racing fans last saw the Rich Ricci-owned Monkfish running last of nine in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at the 2023 Punchestown Festival. Which was 273 days ago and the only time in his career he’d finished outside the top two.
However, connections of the popular 10 year-old have remained patient with the former Cheltenham Festival winner and in true Willie Mullins fashion they’ve nursed him back to form after he returned to win the Grade Two Galmoy Hurdle on the Gowran Park Thyestes Chase card.
You can watch the race below, where he beat another former Festival winner in Summerville Boy by 5 1/2 lengths, with jockey Paul Townend doing the steering.
Monkfish Now 10/1 For The Stayers’ Hurdle
As a result, the best UK horse racing betting sites have reacted by cutting the Monkfish odds in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival to 10/1.
But he still remains well behind last year’s third Teahupoo, who is the 3/1 favourite with the best online betting sites, with another Robcour-owned runner Irish Point next best at 7/2.
After the race Paul Townend told the Racing Post: “It’s good to get him back. He settled brilliantly for the slow gallop they were going. It turned into a bit of a dash down the straight but he showed that he retains plenty of his ability. He will come on for it plenty.”
While Patrick Mullins, who was representing his dad Willie at the track, went onto add “He has stood well to training this year. He was supposed to run on New Year’s Eve but he got a little bang which turned out to be nothing. Ruth Dudfield has done tremendous work with him at home and hopefully he will be able to stand up to it better.
“Now that we have that run under his belt, we might be able to mix and match a bit. He will probably go straight to Cheltenham, there isn’t a whole lot for him before then and it’s only seven weeks away.
“I don’t know what his most likely target is at Cheltenham. He’s in the Gold Cup and I’m pretty sure he’s in the Stayers’ as well. It could be a Willie special!”
Monkfish Career In Numbers
- Runs: (rules): 13
- Wins: 8
- Chase Runs/Wins: 5-4
- Hurdles Runs/Wins: 7-4
- Top Two Finishes: 12 from 13
- Career Winnings: £324,139
Stats correct as 25th Jan 2024
Monkfish Records First Win Since 2021 Cheltenham Festival Success
Prior to his Galmoy Hurdle win, Monkfish’s last time in the winners’ enclosure came at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival – almost three years ago.
He won that day as the hot 1/4 favourite but gave his backers a scare at the last fence with a bad blunder.
After that win he ran second in the Champion Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival in 2021. But then suffered an injury that saw him off the track for 713 days between April 21 and April 23.
Stayers’ Hurdle Betting For Cheltenham Festival 2024
See below the latest Stayers’ Hurdle betting odds with BetMGM. Where you can also get a £40 free bet after staking £10.
- Teahupoo 3/1
- Irish Point 10/3
- Crambo 6/1
- Impaire Et Passe 6/1
- Sir Gerhard 9/1
- Monkfish 10/1
- Flooring Porter 12/1
- Noble Yeats 16/1
Odds are subject to change and others on request.
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