The opening contest on day one is the Grade 1 Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over 2 miles 87 yards. Named this year in honour of the recently deceased Lombardstown, Co Cork, rider, the race will be poignant coming so shortly after the jockey’s death just a few weeks ago.

Champion handler Willie Mullins is responsible for half the 12-runner field, with main stable jockey Paul Townend unsurprisingly choosing the race favourite Kopek Des Bordes. Owned by Charles McCarthy in Fermoy, the French-bred son of No Risk At All jumped very poorly first time out over hurdles at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.

He improved his hurdling significantly between then and the Dublin Racing Festival, where according to Race iQ he gained 10.72 lengths while jumping, and was the only horse over the two-day’s at Leopardstown to go sub 4 minutes over obstacles.

Romeo Coolio was runner-up in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024, and comes to Prestbury Park this season with wins at Down Royal last November and a Leopardstown Grade 1 at Christmas.

Salvador Mundi, the mount of Patrick Mullins, who previously finished second to Sir Gino in his native France, has a Tipperary maiden and a Punchestown Grade 2 to his name.

William Munny would be a fitting winner of this year’s renewal of the race. The listed novice winner at Punchestown will be ridden by Seán Flanagan, and will carry the colours of owner/trainer Barry Connell, the same colours worn by Michael O’Sullivan in 2023 when winning the ‘Supreme’ aboard Marine Nationale.

Despite Willie Mullins’ Closutton team being responsible for 50% of the field, the trainer has only won the race twice in the last six years (2021 Appreciate It and Klassical Dream 2019). He is, however, the race’s most successful current trainer with seven wins – Tourist Attraction (1995), Ebaziyan (2007), Champagne Fever (2013), Vautour (2014), Douvan (2015), Klassical Dream (2019) and Appreciate It (2021).

The race, previously known as the Gloucestershire Hurdle, has been won by Irish-trained raiders on 44 occasions, and by the French once. Of the 16 divisions from 1952-59, Vincent O’Brien won 10 renewals. Ireland also kept a stranglehold on the race for seven years
from 1977-83 and has won 15 of the last 23 runnings

1:20pm Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y

1 Funiculi Funicula (FR) 5 11 7 Michael A.O’Riordan/Séamus Hennessy W. P. Mullins Brian Hayes
2 Irancy (FR) 7 11 7 Mr John P. McManus W. P. Mullins Mark Walsh
3 Karbau (FR) 5 11 7 Barnane Stud,Partner & Temple Bloodstock W. P. Mullins Sean O’Keeffe
4 Karniquet (FR) h 5 11 7 Gigginstown House Stud W. P. Mullins Danny Mullins
5 Kopek des Bordes (FR) h 5 11 7 Monabeg Investments Limited W. P. Mullins P. Townend
6 Romeo Coolio 6 11 7 KTDA Racing Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
7 Salvator Mundi (FR) h,ts 5 11 7 Mrs J. Donnelly W. P. Mullins Mr P. W. Mullins
8 Sky Lord 6 11 7 Mr Basil Holian Henry de Bromhead Darragh O’Keeffe
9 Tripoli Flyer (IRE) 6 11 7 Mr Ismail El Magdoub Fergal O’Brien Jonathan Burke
10 Tutti Quanti (FR) 5 11 7 Mr Colm Donlon Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden
11 William Munny (IRE) h 7 11 7 Mr Barry Connell Barry Connell Seán Flanagan
12 Workahead (IRE) 7 11 7 Mr Barry Maloney Henry de Bromhead Rachael Blackmore

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This year is the 18th running of the race, which Irish trainers have dominated since its inception – 14 of the 17 previous winners were trained in Ireland.

A Grade 1 race since 2015, the Mares’ Hurdle was won an incredible six consecutive years by Quevega, bettering the previous Cheltenham Festival record of five consecutive wins held by Golden Miller (1932 to 1936).

Willie Mullins has won 10 of the 17 editions of the race to date and saddles the favourite and last season’s winner, Lossiemouth, and second favourite in the betting, Jade De Grugy.

While the early season plan had been to contest the opening day feature, the Grade 1 Unibet Champion Hurdle, with Lossiemouth, connections of the grey mare decided last weekend to stick to her won sex in the almost two and a half-mile contest.

Jade De Grugy and Gala Marceau will carry the colours of Scottish owner Kenny Alexander, who previously won this race twice with Honeysuckle (2020 and 2023).

3:20pm Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 3f 200y

1 Casa No Mento 7 11 5 LRK Racing & Willy Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies
2 Dysart Enos (IRE) 7 11 5 The Good Stock Syndicate Fergal O’Brien Jonathan Burke
3 Gala Marceau (FR) h 6 11 5 Mr K. Alexander W. P. Mullins Brian Hayes
4 Jade de Grugy (FR) 6 11 5 Mr K. Alexander W. P. Mullins Danny Mullins
5 Jetara (IRE) p 7 11 5 Mr G. McGrath Mrs J. Harrington Sam Ewing
6 Joyeuse (FR) 6 11 5 Mr John P. McManus Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville
7 July Flower (FR) 6 11 5 Mr Duncan Angove Henry de Bromhead Rachael Blackmore
8 Kala Conti (FR) 5 11 5 Robcour Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
9 Lossiemouth (FR) 6 11 5 Mrs S. Ricci W. P. Mullins P. Townend
10 Queens Gamble (IRE) 7 11 5 Mr A Frost and Mr E Galvin Harry Derham Paul O’Brien
11 Take No Chances (IRE) 7 11 5 Mr Garry Wilson Dan Skelton Harry Skelton

The post Lossiemouth bids for consecutive Mares’ Hurdles appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

There had been speculation for much of the past few months that Lossiemouth might challenge the 2023 winner in this year’s renewal – especially after her impressive win in the Grade 1 Hattons Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse in December. Her heavy fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle, however, muddied the waters somewhat, with the decision being made last weekend to aim her for a defence of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle instead.

Last year’s Unibet Champion Hurdler, the highly reliable State Man, won the Irish Champion Hurdle in which Lossiemouth fell, had been beaten in his two runs prior to the Dublin Racing Festival, in the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown Christmas Festival, and the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown.

Six mares have taken Champion Hurdle honours on a total of seven occasions – African Sister (1939), Dawn Run (1984), Flakey Dove (1994), Annie Power (2016), Epatante (2020) and Honeysuckle (2021 and 2022) – and the impressive Brighterdaysahead could certainly add to that on Tuesday.

The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old daughter of Kapgarde, second to Golden Ace in the Grade 2 Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024, has a Grade 3 and three Grade 1 wins on her resumé since. She beat State Man into second in the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle, while the Donnellys’ multiple Grade 1 winner could only finish third to her at Leopardstown in December.

According to Race iQ, race favourite Constitution Hill has the highest Jump Index in the field at 8.8. Brighterdaysahead’s figure is 8.4, while State Man’s is only third of the seven horses in the race, at 7.6.

Though he is an 11-time Grade 1-winner, the son of Doctor Dino has never had the highest Lengths Gained Jumping value in any race in Race iQ’s database, meaning there have always been horses that gained an advantage on him through their jumping.

4:00pm Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 87y

1 Burdett Road ts 5 11 10 The Gredley Family James Owen Sam Twiston-Davies
2 Constitution Hill 8 11 10 Mr Michael Buckley Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville
3 King of Kingsfield (IRE) 7 11 10 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan
4 State Man (FR) p 8 11 10 Mrs J. Donnelly W. P. Mullins P. Townend
5 Winter Fog (IRE) 11 11 10 The Triple Lock Partnership W. P. Mullins Brian Hayes
6 Brighterdaysahead (FR) 6 11 3 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
7 Golden Ace 7 11 3 Mr I. F. Gosden Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams

The post Can Brighterdaysahead become 7th mare to win Champion Hurdle? appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The J.P. McManus-owned son of Capital Stud’s Martinborough won last season’s Triumph Hurdle, but returns this year as a novice chaser.

A win in a beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse was soon followed up with success in the Grade 1 Goffs Arkle Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival.

The Race iQ information shows that Majborough is a better chaser than hurdler. His Jump Index over the smaller obstacles last season was 7.7, while his overall Jump Index over fences to date is 9.0 out of 10.

Jockey Mark Walsh will hope to maintain the good recent record of trainer Willie Mullins in the My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase. The Closutton wins in the last two years, with Gaelic Warrior in 2024 and El Fabiolo in 2023, were both ridden by Paul Townend.

Touch Me Not, trained by Gordon Elliott for Gigginstown House Stud, was 9 lengths behind  Majborough at Leopardstown last month.

Irish-based handlers have tasted success in this race 7 of the last 10 years, with Henry de Bromhead (Put The Kettle On in 2020) adding to Mullins’ six victories.

2:00pm My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 1m 7f 199y

1 Jango Baie (FR) 6 11 7 Countrywide Park Homes Ltd Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville
2 L’Eau du Sud (FR) ts 7 11 7 GMasonJHalesLHalesPHogarthSirAFerguson Dan Skelton Harry Skelton
3 Majborough (FR) 5 11 7 Mr John P. McManus W. P. Mullins Mark Walsh
4 Touch Me Not (IRE) 6 11 7 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
5 Only By Night (IRE) 7 11 0 Mrs J. M. Russell Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue

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