Sharjah wins record equalling fourth Matheson Hurdle

Patrick Mullins was coolness personified aboard the popular eight-year-old whose victory saw him draw alongside Hurricane Fly and Istabraq as a multiple winner of the Christmas showpiece.

The hurdle in the home straight was omitted (would have been the first and the last) due to the low sun so there was a long run to the line after the last obstacle and Sharjah was four lengths adrift of the front-running Saint Roi, Echoes In Rain and Zanahiyr turning in.

The latter, second to Sharjah in the Morgiana Hurdle last time, had soon seen off his other challengers but Mullins was sitting quietly aboard the 5/6 favourite and biding his time.

It wasn't until they'd rounded the omitted hurdle that Mullins got serious and Sharjah did pick up but Zanahiyr battled back and pushed the winner all the way with only a neck separating the pair at the line.

"A lot went wrong," the winning jockey told Racing TV.

"I was very wary of Saint Roi early. When Rachael went forward it changed the complexion of the race. I moved forward on to Jack's boots as I didn't want to give Saint Roi too much rope.

"We jumped the third last. Jack has had a shout at Davy to give him a bit of room so Davy's moved out, Jack's gone through the gap and I've gone to follow them but so has Paul Townend on the inside and Echoes Of Rain is a strong travelling mare who has been able to bully me out of it so I got knocked back a length.

"With the last being out it was a big negative for us because we've come off the nice good ground onto yesterday's ground, onto the older ground, it's slower, and you could feel he wasn't getting the same traction on it and after the last Jack cleverly didn't let us back onto the nice ground.

"We went a good strong gallop all the way. I'd like to think we won despite having a lot of things going wrong, I think Zanahiyr had the perfect run and we didn't so I think our fella deserved the win.

"This wasn't a vintage performance on ratings but things went wrong and he still won and he's only eight.

"I can't see why he couldn't come back and do it next year. I think anyone could ride him but he's the only horse I get to consistently ride, it's very unusual for me to be able to build-up a rapport with a horse and I love riding him."

Trainer Willie Mullins said: “That was not good for the heart!

“Patrick said he wasn’t as sharp as other years and then with the last hurdle missing, he got pushed out onto yesterday’s ground and that just blunted his speed in the last furlong.

“He managed to do it anyhow and it was a terrific race. He definitely wasn’t as sharp as other years, but when you win a race four years running, you can’t expect a horse to be improving.

“He’s been a spectacular horse – fantastic for Patrick and Rich and Susannah (Ricci, owners). I think Rich likes Patrick riding him and he’s a special horse for that partnership.”

In each of the past two seasons Sharjah has gone on to disappoint in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in early February before bouncing back to finish second in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

On whether he could miss the Irish Champion Hurdle this time around, Mullins added: “We might do that and go straight to Cheltenham, but I’ll have a word with Rich and Susannah and see.

“It might be the thing to do as it doesn’t seem to work for him.”

Coral cut Sharjah to 8/1 from 10/1 to win the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham at the fourth attempt, having been brought down in 2019 prior to chasing home Epatante in 2020 and Honeysuckle last season.

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