Apple's Jade makes all to retain Christmas Hurdle crown after Faugheen falls

A 26-length rout suggests Apple's Jade won like the odds-on shot she was, but that tells only half the story as Michael O'Leary's exceptional mare had not quite dispensed with Faugheen when the 2015 Champion Hurdle hero crashed out spectacularly at the second-last.

Jack Kennedy set out to make all on the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old Apple's Jade, and despite jumping right at many of her hurdles she was still in control when she reached for the second-last.

At that point, Faugheen, who had sat a handful of lengths behind throughout, was poised in her slipstream under Ruby Walsh, but he also stretched for the hurdle. It was crunch time and questions were being asked.

While the mare got away with it and landed running, Faugheen didn't quite get there. He took an awkward fall that left him lying on the ground for a short while, but eventually he rose to a cacophony of cheers from a concerned Leopardstown crowd.

His exit denied spectators what fleetingly looked like it might be a thrilling climax between two of the sport's heavyweights. As it was, Apple's Jade was left to saunter home from Early Doors and Bapaume for a remarkable ninth Grade 1 triumph, reinforcing the impression she made when proving similarly insatiable in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle. She is at the absolute peak of her powers.

Unbeaten in three at the Foxrock venue, her second successive triumph in this €100,000 event was Elliott's third in four years.

Apple's Jade and Jack Kennedy with trainer Gordon Elliott (second right) and owner Michael O'Leary (right)Credit: Patrick McCann

"She's something else," he said. "It doesn't get any easier watching her as you start getting nervous, but Jack said she was brilliant today. He said he gave her a kick at the second-last and she picked up and just changed gears and went on again.

"It was unfortunate to see Faugheen fall. I don't know what would have happened but it would have taken a fair one to get by her."

He added: "We're very lucky to have her – she's a great mare. She's still only six – it's hard to believe."

Elliott suggested Apple's Jade could yet drop back to two miles for the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival next month.

However, the OLBG Mares' Hurdle and Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle are the only options on the table at Cheltenham, and Elliott reiterated that the mares' race remains her likeliest target.

"She might come back here over two miles in February," he said. "I think I gave her too much time between her last run and Cheltenham last year. She likes running. We'll see how she is but I wouldn't mind coming back and running her here over two miles."

Paddy Power cut her to 10-1 (from 14) for the Stayers' but BoyleSports took a more cautious stance, trimming her to 4-1 favourite (from 6). She is a top-priced 7-4 for the mares' race.

Kennedy, riding his 14th Grade 1 winner two years after his first aboard Elliott's Outlander in the same Gigginstown threads on the same card, sported a broad beam on his return.

"She's unbelievable," he said. "It's a dream come true to be associated with horses like her."

Of Faugheen, trainer Willie Mullins reported: "He was just unlucky. He'd done everything right and I was pleased with the way he was running up to that point – everything seemed to be going according to plan.

"John Codd, who looks after him, says he is walking perfectly, so that's good."

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