With the Cheltenham Festival only a week away, the big news is the decision by connections of star mare Brighterdaysahead to skip the Gr1 Mares Hurdle and instead take on Constitution Hill in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
It promises to be a real humdinger and, unquestionably, one of the races of the festival.
Brighterdaysahead will take on Constitution Hill (Pic – Cheltenham Racecourse)
The Day 1 feature now looks the ultimate battle of the sexes as the six-year-old mare, who was narrowly defeated in one of her ten starts, takes on the unbeaten in ten starts, Constitution Hill.
Irish trainer Gordon Elliott told the media: “After discussing it with Michael and Eddie [O’Leary] we’re going to go for the Champion Hurdle with Brighterdaysahead. None of us have won the Champion Hurdle before and we feel this is probably our best chance yet. Jack Kennedy has always been her biggest fan, and he will ride her.”
The trainer added: “The mare is in mighty form, and I couldn’t be any happier with her. She has pleased me every step of the way since Leopardstown at Christmas, and she has even filled out and strengthened up a lot since you saw her last.”
He added: “It’s obviously a very hot race and I have deep respect for Constitution Hill. He’s one of the best hurdlers we have ever seen, while State Man is a winning machine and was a very good winner of the last year’s Champion Hurdle. Lossiemouth is an extremely talented mare, too, so it’s a really hot race, but there is only one Champion Hurdle and we’re looking forward to having a go.”
Brighterdaysahead exploded on to the Champion Hurdle scene with a 30-length victory in the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas when 11-time Grade 1 winner State Man was unable to get anywhere near her. She had already beaten last year’s Champion Hurdle winner earlier in the season, battling back to claim the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown in November. Last season she suffered her only defeat when finishing runner-up after in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival.
Nicky Henderson, trainer of Constitution Hill, has welcomed the decision.
He noted: “The one thing Gordon’s mare coming in is we know we’ll get a right good gallop, which I don’t think does us any harm. Constitution Hill is well capable of jumping at speed, so we’ve got to take what we’ve got in front of us, and I expect her to be in front of us at the start – not at the finish.”
Henderson has won the Champion Hurdle nine times, added: “We’d have to think Brighterdaysahead is going to take a lead off King Of Kingsfield. We’ll just keep a tab on her. I can’t see Lossiemouth or State Man wanting to force it anymore.”
However, Henderson is delighted with how Constitution Hill’s campaign has gone after the challenges of last season, when he was unable to defend the Champion Hurdle, and believes his work at home is “as good as ever.”
Mares have a cracking record in the Champion Hurdle over the last decade. Annie Power landed the race in 2016, Epatante did the same in 2020, while Honeysuckle won back-to-back runnings in 2021 and 2022. Brighterdaysahead will be in receipt of 7lbs from Constitution Hill and State Man.
