Nicky Henderson, the most successful trainer in the history of the Unibet Champion Hurdle with nine wins – See You Then (1985, 1986 and 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur D’Air (2017 & 2018), Epatante (2020) and Constitution Hill (2023) – will hope to claim another on Tuesday with stable star Constitution Hill.
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
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