Lossiemouth withstood a strong challenge from the returning Brighterdaysahead to claim top honors in the December Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The Willie Mullins-trained Lossiemouth was a dominant winner of last month’s Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on her seasonal debut and was the 4-6 favorite to follow up and claim a ninth Grade One victory in the hands of Paul Townend.
Brighterdaysahead won this race by 30 lengths 12 months ago and when a planned novice chase campaign was cut short after an autumn setback delayed her return, she had a 5-2 chance of successfully defending her crown ahead of Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy – and the two star mares eventually emerged.
Brighterdaysahead’s stablemate Casheldale Lad was deployed in a breakthrough role for the first half of the race before the other Mullins runner, Anzadam, muscled his way into the lead under Patrick Mullins in the straight.
He predictably faltered on the home turn, leaving Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysa to battle it out, and with the advantage of race fitness it was the former who had just a little more to give on the run-in and passed the post by a length.
Willie Mullins said: “Paul had to go with Anzadam. She stays two and a half miles so he wouldn’t be doing anything wrong if he went with him.”
“I’m sure both mares will be back here for the Dublin Racing Festival. There aren’t that many options for those types of horses.
“Anzadam couldn’t get coverage and jumped so well that he took Patrick to the front.
“I wonder if we should go with him in the future. He has a reasonable engine and if we can keep him under control he is probably a class one horse.”
Lossiemouth remain Coral’s 3-1 second favorite for the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival behind the 13-8 market leader Sir Gino. Brighterdaysahead, who had disappointed on two previous visits to Prestbury Park, made it 14-1 after her promising comeback.
Townend said of the winner: “She was brilliant. I was worried when Patrick cleared the few hurdles and went past us not to let him too far away as he wasn’t a dead duck in the race – and he’d had the run at Newcastle.”
“It probably left me racing a little bit earlier than if he hadn’t passed, but I wanted to mark him and try to cover all the bases and let the rest dance to my tune as much as possible.
“She is a gem to have and she showed up every day, even when I didn’t come to see her one day she still showed up and ran a cracker.
“She is a powerful mare and we are happy to have her.”
Elliott was delighted with Brighterdaysahead’s performance and a rematch with Lossiemouth in the Irish Champion Hurdle is on the cards.
“I’m absolutely thrilled. I was more proud of her than anything all week. I thought what she did was incredible,” the Cullentra House counselor said.
“She took a big hit and we knew she was going to need it here. We knew she was in good shape, but Jack (Kennedy) was excited.
“We look forward to bringing her back here for the Dublin Racing Festival.”
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