Stakes winner Literato) but finished well beaten when moved up to Group class in races such as the Prix Daphnis, Prix de Guiche and Prix Eugène Adam. In late 2007 the horse was sold to George Creighton and was transferred to the stable of Willie Mullins at Muine Bheag, County Carlow in Ireland to be trained for a National Hunt career. 2008/2009 season: Novice hurdles In his first season as a jumper, Hurricane Fly competed in Novice Hurdle races, restricted to horses who had not won a hurdle race before the start of the season. He won a race at Punchestown Racecourse in May and then returned to France to win the GradeThree Gras Savoye Prix de Longchamp Hurdle at Auteuil. Racing over the same course and distance in June he finished second to Grivette in the Grade One Prix Alain de Breil, finishing just ahead of his stable companion Quevega. Returning to Ireland later in the year he recorded his first Grade One win when beating Donnas Palm by a neck in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse Racecourse in November and followed up by winning the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown Racecourse a month later, beating Go Native by ten lengths. In the following spring he bypassed the Cheltenham Festival in March, but ran at Punchestown Festival in April, where he won the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle by seven lengths. 2009/2010 season: Senior hurdles On his first appearance as a senior hurdler, Hurricane Fly started the 8/13 favourite for the Punchestown Hurdle, but finished third of the four runners behind Solwhit. On his only other appearance of the season returned to Punchestown in April and defeated Solwhit by a neck in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle: the other beaten horses included Thousand Stars, Dunguib, Voler la Vedette and Punjabi. 2010/2011 season Hurricane Fly was undefeated in five starts in the 2010/2011 National Hunt season. In December he defeated Solwhit in two Group One races: the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse and the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown. In January he won the Irish Champion Hurdle and was then sent to the Cheltenham Festival for the first time to contest the Champion Hurdle. Racing for the first time in England, he started the 11/4 favourite in a field of eleven runners and was ridden by Ruby Walsh. He took the lead at the last flight of hurdles