Lossiemouth proved she is the queen of Cheltenham when scooting clear in the Unibet Champion Hurdle, justifying connections’ decision to run her against the geldings.

The now 10-time Grade 1 winner and four-time Festival winner was bouncing back from a lacklustre second to Brighterdaysahead in the Irish Champion Hurdle, once again proving Willie Mullins’ abilities as a master trainer.

Despite her Leopardstown disappointment, Rich and Susannah Ricci’s star mare had been well-supported since being declared in first-time cheekpieces and was sent off the 7/5 favourite under Paul Townend, seeking his first winner of the week.

Jack Kennedy led from an early stage aboard Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead (7/2), with Townend hot on his heels, reluctant to allow his rival too much of an advantage. Townend looked full of confidence joining Brighterdaysahead turning for home, as Kennedy asked his mount for more.

Lossiemouth was in command coming to the final flight, but with last year’s drama-filled Champion Hurdle fresh in the memory, favourite-backers could only breathe a sigh of relief once she was over clear and she powered home to score by six and a half lengths.

Brighterdaysahead kept on gallantly in second, half a length in front of Dan Skelton’s stable star The New Lion in third.

Star mare

After winning the Champion Hurdle for a sixth time, Mullins commented: Willie Mullins said: “She’s a star mare. Just to come back four years on the trot, never mind win, puts her in a league of her own, I think. She’s nearly getting into Quevega territory.

“It was an open race and when I put cheekpieces on her the other morning I thought ‘Wow, that’s the old Lossiemouth’.

“I had a chat with Paul after the piece of work and he thought the same, so I had a quick chat with Rich after racing on Saturday evening and that was literally the first time we’d spoken about it. People think we talk about nothing else but we said we’d leave it until the last minute and that was nearly the last minute.”

The winning rider reported: “She was much more like herself today than the last day; I knew very early that day that we weren’t going, and I knew very early today that we were. The race didn’t go totally as I had planned in my head - the start got messy, but it probably went better than I expected, with Jack in front of me, and I was able to do what I wanted.

“I think she’s so honest and genuine, that on her back you know whether it is happening or not. I don’t think it is the make-up of the race, I think it’s physically, mentally or emotionally - whatever it is that she’s got in her head - that matters, but she was on song today.

“When we worked her in cheekpieces, she just came alive. I was on the fence about the Champion Hurdle, but I thought she needed to find that little bit of spark that we thought she had before, but Willie has trained her differently as well, and he’s forgotten more about training racehorses than I’ve ever known. I thought I was happy and when I saw him smiling, that was it.”

Fences ahead

Michael O’Leary, owner of runner-up Brighterdaysahead, had no complaints, saying: “Today was Lossiemouth’s day. No quibbles - the best horse won, and we weren’t the best horse on the day.

The outspoken owner also offered his opinion on the battle of the sexes, saying: “I’m not sure the mares should get a 7lb allowance in these championship races, and I’ve owned the likes of Apples Jade, I own Brighterdaysahead - I think it is a little unfair on the geldings.

“They should be off level weights - that’s what championships should be about. There’s a mares’ hurdle if you want to go for that, but this weight allowance in championship races is a little unfair on the geldings.

“As long as all is well, we’ll probably go to Aintree for the two-and-a-half-mile race, and then she’s going jumping. If she stays fit and sound, she’s definitely going chasing next year.”

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