Dunguib misses latest intended comeback race
It's now some nine months since star Irish hurdler Dunguib was last seen on a racecourse and his legions of fans are going to have to wait a little while longer before Philip Fenton's stable star eventually makes his seasonal reappearance, following the news that he misses Sunday's feature event, the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, writes Elliot Slater.
The eight-year-old hasn't set foot on a racecourse since finishing down the field in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in April and had been an intended runner at Leopardstown this coming weekend in a bid to get the horse ready for a crack at the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham races in mid-March, now only eight weeks away.
Although the horse had reportedly been in good form at home, trainer Philip Fenton has now issued a bulletin stating that Dunguib's final blood test "has not come up to scratch" and he has had no choice but to scrap the idea of running the Presenting gelding against Hurricane Fly, Solwhit , Voler La Vedette and the rest. Although still as short as 12/1 (with Paddy Power) in the ante-post market to win the Champion Hurdle, Stan James have already reacted to the news of Dunguib's blood test by pushing him out to 20/1 in the Cheltenham odds for the two-mile championship race.
An outstanding novice hurdler in Ireland last season having bolted up the term before in the Cheltenham Festival Bumper, Dunguib was the Irish banker of the meeting at Cheltenham last year when forced down to odds-on to land the opening race of the fixture, the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. He could only finish third to Menorah, but having appeared a big disappointment at the time that form now looks very good indeed, so if he can recover full fitness and return to peak condition Dunguib could yet be a player again at Cheltenham.
