| Hurricane Fly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sire | Montjeu |
| Grandsire | Sadler's Wells |
| Dam | Scandisk |
| Damsire | Kenmare |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 5 April 2004 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Agricola Del Parco |
| Owner | Raoul Teman Hans-Peter Breitenstein George Creighton & Rose Boyd |
| Trainer | J-L Pelletan Willie Mullins |
| Record | 42: 26-5-4 10: 2-2-1 flat 32: 24-3-3 hurdles |
| Earnings | £1,894,422[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Prix de Longchamp Hurdle (2008) Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (2008) Future Champions Novice Hurdle (2008) Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle (2009) Punchestown Champion Hurdle (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) Hatton's Grace Hurdle (2010) December Festival Hurdle (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) Irish Champion Hurdle (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Champion Hurdle (2011, 2013) Morgiana Hurdle (2012, 2013, 2014) | |
Hurricane Fly (foaled 5 April 2004) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in hurdle races when under the care of trainer Willie Mullins at Closutton in County Carlow in Ireland. He is a dual winner of the Champion Hurdle and previously held the world record for most Grade 1 (or Group 1) races won by any racehorse until overtaken by Winx in 2019.[2] Originally bred to be a flat racer, the gelding began his racing career in France where he had moderate success, winning twice in ten races. At the end of 2007 he was sold and transferred to Ireland where he began to compete in National Hunt events. On 15 March 2011, Hurricane Fly ridden by Ruby Walsh won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.[3]
After finishing third in the 2012 renewal, he became the first horse in thirty-eight years to regain the Champion Hurdle title by winning the race for a second time in 2013.[4] On 26 April 2013 he had his 16th Grade 1 victory in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle equalling the record for Grade 1 wins previously shared by Kauto Star and John Henry.[5] He took sole possession of the record when winning the Morgiana Hurdle on 17 November 2013. He added a further five wins at the highest level before being retired with a record total of 22 such wins in August 2015. That total was equalled by Winx when she won the W. S. Cox Plate on 27 October 2018. Hurricane Fly is now enjoying his retirement in the lush green paddocks of the Irish National Stud in County Kildare and enjoys meeting the thousands of admirers who visit him there each year.
- ^ Racing Post
- ^ "Winx: World record 23rd Group One win for 'very special' horse". cnn.com.
- ^ "CHAMPION WALSH FLY-ING HIGH". Sportinglife.com. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ "Hurricane Fly wins the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival". Guardian. London. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ "CHAMPION HURDLE Hurricane Fly saunters to 16th Grade 1 victory – Horse Racing News". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015.