Morgiana Hurdle Tips: Race Of The Season So Far Previewed
In what is the race of the season so far, last season's beaten Mares' Novices' Hurdle favourite takes on the winners of both the Champion Hurdle and Mares' Hurdle, with an intriguing supporting cast thrown in for good measure in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown. Despite plenty of shiny new toys, Billy Grimshaw is urging us to stick with the tried and tested...
Jezki, Faugheen, Annie Power, Buveur D'Air, Espoir D'Allen, Honeysuckle, State Man. It may be controversial, but I'd only have Faugheen and particularly Constitution Hill ahead of the 2024 Champion Hurdler STATE MAN in terms of ability and class when it comes to assessing the last ten Champion Hurdle winners. There will be plenty of readers decrying this, particularly Annie Power and Honeysuckle mega fans, and I can certainly see the argument for AP at least ahead of this eight year old, but what is not in question is the fact that were a generational talent in Constitution Hill not around at the exact same time State Man emerged, he would be given a hell of a lot more respect.
It is the fashion in racing to want to latch onto the horse bursting through being a superstar, while disregarding the attributes of the horse we know everything about. Lossiemouth was supremely impressive throughout both her juvenile season, when I was a huge fan and was on at double figures down for the Triumph Hurdle, and even more so last year when dominating each race she was in, culminating in a travelling all over them success in the Mares' Hurdle to become a two time Cheltenham winner at the tender age of five. The world looks her oyster in terms of hurdling and I absolutely adore this stylish grey mare's way of racing, but the fact is she has an awful lot to do to get up to the level of her older, wiser stablemate in State Man.
Perhaps she will do it, perhaps the seven pounds she gets as a mare will be crucial and perhaps at the age of five still she is on a still steeper upward curve, but the bet has to be the defending champion considering he has consistently run to a rating of 165+ and is a much better horse here at Punchestown than at Cheltenham, which is not the case for the second favourite. I've nothing against Patrick Mullins as a rider either, but Paul Townend on board State Man over the young pretender indicates that in Closutton, he is still clearly the top dog in hurdling terms especially now Ballyburn is off over fences.
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This race is not just a Mullins mashup, however, and the most intriguing entrant to many will be Brighterdaysahead for Gordon Elliott who has race fitness on her side. She took out the Battlegreen Hurdle, a Grade 3, from stablemate and rogue King Of Kingsfield as well as the re-opposing here Daddy Long Legs, a stable and ownershipmate of State Man's. He's another who is best described as an enigma and will presumably be used for pace in here.
Brighterdaysahead has already disappointed me this season - through no fault of her own - in being kept over hurdles as I was involved antepost on her for the Mares' Chase, considering the size and scope of her I thought this season being a novice chase campaign was a foregone conclusion. There were some who took the fact she stays hurdling as a negative for her wellbeing but she dismissed those concerns first time out and will be a challenger here, however I can't see her ever beating either of the big two over the minimum trip and think this is the last we'll see of this huge mare over two miles.
Sir Gerhard is another runner in here for Willie Mullins, ridden by Danny who we all know by now is not afraid of attempting to take a race from his rivals by the scruff of its neck, and I suspect he will go off like a scalded cat in front and attempt to win the race in the only way this horse could possibly do so, in making it a real stamina test. That could play into Birghterdaysahead's hands, but I don't think Sir Gerhard has the boot to make State Man or Lossiemouth sweat. Pray for no non runners in the morning and this should be a race to savour. Indeed, it'll probably be a deeper field than the 2025 Champion Hurdle!