Morgiana Hurdle Betting Tips, Offers and Odds – 16 Nov 2019

Won by a number of champions over the years, Punchestown’s Morgiana Hurdle is one of the top early season Irish contests. Here we take a look at the best odds and offers and provide our betting tips for this top class event.

This 2m Grade 1 Hurdle was first run at Punchestown in 1988 and now offers more than €50,000 for the winner.

Morgiana Hurdle Tips and Betting Offers, 2:00, 16th November 2019

The Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle is one of the biggest races in the early part of the jumps racing season. It’s been used as a chance for some incredibly high class horses to get their new season underway and has been won by the likes of Faugheen, Hurricane Fly and Solwhit over the last 10 years. Typically, there’s a small but select field assembled for this race and things are no different for this year’s running with just five horses heading to Punchestown for a crack at the 2 mile ½ furlong race.

Klassical Dream to Start Strong

The return of Klassical Dream is up there with the biggest news of the weekend. The five-year-old won only made four starts last season, winning them all. After winning a maiden at Leopardstown on his first start for Willie Mullins, Klassical Dream was thrown straight into a Grade 1 at the same track.

It took him no time at all to show genuine quality after coming over from France and those first couple of performances marked Klassical Dream out as having some real stamina. Many though that would see him run in the Ballymore Hurdle at Cheltenham but Mullins stuck with the plan to run him in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

That proved to be a very good decision, especially on the soft ground at Cheltenham with Klassical Dream putting the competition to the sword. He followed that up with an equally impressive run in the Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown. The nature of Klassical Dream’s performances so far suggest that he will make a strong chaser in time but for now, it’s all about getting back to work over hurdles and picking up what should be a fairly routine win in the Morgiana.

Can Petit Mouchoir Get Back to Former Glories?

The future is very bright indeed for Klassical Dream. It’s a little less clear what the coming months will bring for Petit Mouchoir. Henry De Bromhead’s eight-year-old has won some very big races in his time and continues to be competitive against Grade level opponents.

It’s some time since he was genuinely competitive in a race of the Morgiana Hurdle’s calibre and over two years since he won any race at all. However, he remains a good enough horse to suggest that he cannot be written off. In a field that’s too small for each way betting, it could well pay to look for a longer odds option capable of pulling off a shock and at 25/1 with Coral, Petit Mouchoir may just be that horse.

Betting Predictions

It will take a great deal of improvement from any horses in the field to get the better of Klassical Dream. Petit Mouchoir is worth backing at long odds with small stakes but this looks a race in which the favourite will take all the beating. He has many options ahead of him and should get things going in victorious style at 8/15 with Paddy Power.

Be sure to check out Cheltenham Festival Betting Offers page as the National Hunt season progresses!

Morgiana Hurdle Previous Winners

  • 2018 – Sharjah – jockey Paul Townend, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2017 – Faugheen – jockey Paul Townend, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2016 – Nichols Canyon – jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2015 – Nichols Canyon – jockey David Mullins, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2014 – Hurricane Fly – jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2013 – Hurricane Fly – jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2012 – Hurricane Fly – jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2011 – Thousand Stars – jockey Ruby Walsh, trainer Willie Mullins
  • 2010 – Solwhit – jockey Davy Russell, trainer Charles Byrnes
  • 2009 – Solwhit – jockey Davy Russell, trainer Charles Byrnes
  • 2008 – Hardy Eustace – jockey Paddy Flood, trainer Dessie Hughes
  • 2007 – Jazz Messenger – jockey Paul Carberry, trainer Noel Meade
  • 2006 – Iktihaf – jockey Paul Carberry, trainer Noel Meade

Morgiana Hurdle History

Inaugurated in 1988, this contest has undergone a number of changes over the years, in terms of both its Grade and distance. Initially a Listed class contest run over 2m4f, its distance was cut to 2m2f in 1992 before being dropped a further 2f to its present 2m trip in 1995. The class of performer attracted to the contest has also saw a rise in classification, with Grade 2 being conferred upon the event in 1994 and a further rise to Grade 1 level arriving in 2006.

There have been a number of multiple winners since the races inception, with Cockney Lad, Grabel and Solwhit all winning twice. That total was topped by Limestone Lad and the mighty Hurricane Fly who both landed a hat-trick of successes.

It is Hurricane Fly who must go down as the most talented winner on the roll of honour here. The son of the Arc winner Montjeu recorded a record setting 22 Grade 1 victories in his career including two Champion Hurdles and five Irish Champion Hurdles.

Champion Irish trainer on multiple occasions, Willie Mullins has won this race a remarkable eight years in succession between 2011 and 2018. Having also sent out the winner in 1993, his nine wins make him the most successful trainer in the history of the race, well ahead of fellow Irishman Noel Meade who is next in line.

Meade and Mullins share the distinction of having saddled the joint youngest winners here, with both Mullins’, Padashpan (1993) and Meade’s, Nomadic (1998), being four years old at the time of their wins. Dual Champion Hurdle winner, Hardy Eustace (2008) was the oldest winner as of 2015, being 11 when coming home in front.

Six is the benchmark total amongst the jockeys. Paul Carberry partnered four of Meade’s six winners to victory and also won back to back editions aboard the ever-popular Limestone Lad in 2001 and 2002.