Mullins and Ricci discuss Limini and Vroum Vroum Mag

Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci both gave their reasons on Wednesday why six-year-old mare Limini was not supplemented for the Champion Hurdle at a cost of £20,000, in favour of a tilt at the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, which begins next week.

Limini won the Dawn Run Mares’ Novice Hurdle at the Festival last year and made a superb return to action when routing Apple’s Jade, the Hatton’s Grace winner at Punchestown in the Listed Quevega Mares Listed Hurdle last time out by two-lengths.

That win led to suggestions that the daughter of Peintre Celebre would run in the Champion Hurdle at the Festival, for which she was a general 6/1 chance.

However, American Ricci and Closutton handler Mullins decided against supplementing the improving mare for the two-mile championship hurdling showpiece and she will instead head for the Grade One OLBG Mares’ Hurdle, also run on the first day of the Festival over two-miles and four furlongs.

Mullins explaining the decision said:

Limini is fine, but we just decided not to supplement her for the Champion Hurdle. The plan now is for her to for the Grade One OLBG Mares’ Hurdle.

Ireland Champion Jumps trainer did not expand on where last year’s Mares’ Hurdle winner Vroum Vroum Mag would end as she was left in the Mares’ Hurdle, the Champion Hurdle and the Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle with Mullins commenting:

No decision has been made on which race Vroum Vroum Mag will run in. She has plenty of options so we’ll wait and see.

Rich Ricci also commented on the plans in his RTE blog in a frank and honest way, remarking:

What the decision on Limini means for Vroum Vroum Mag is unclear. I remember last year when we were supplementing Annie Power I said I wasn’t sure we were supplementing the right one considering how well Vroum Vroum was working.

I don’t know what to do. She’s in the Champion Hurdle, the Mares’ Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle. What you can do is to be too clever by half, spread yourself too thin and walk away with nothing.

I’m not interested in that after the year we’ve had so, although it wouldn’t be my usual stance, I wouldn’t be against both Limini and Vroum Vroum Mag taking each other on. Both are working well, there is still a week to go and we won’t be calling that until the weekend I’d imagine.