Lossiemouth stamped her authority on the Champion Hurdle betting when returning to action with a stylish defeat of the Stayers’ title-holder Teahupoo at Sunday’s Winter Festival in Fairyhouse.
Willie Mullins’s classy mare proved way too quick for her rival in what turned into a widely anticipated match in the straight for the Bar One Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.
On unseasonably quick ground conditions Teahupoo found himself a sitting duck for Lossiemouth, who made light of a blunder at the fourth last and pounced at the last to win smoothly. The 4-7 favourite gave Mullins a fourth success in the €120,000 festival highlight and a first since Arctic Fire in 2015.
Hurricane Fly was Mullins’s first in 2010 when Paul Townend was also on board. “The Fly” went on to land that season’s Champion Hurdle and Lossiemouth is a general 7-4 chance to do the same.
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Townend could wind up with an enviably difficult choice to make between her and the reigning champ State Man, who fluffed his lines last weekend when runner-up in the Morgiana.
Lossiemouth had been forced to miss that with a sore foot but showed no sign of any lingering effects as last season’s easy Mares’ Hurdle winner put Teahupoo firmly in his place.
“The mistake was down to me, not her, I wanted to miss it but not as much as that,” said Townend of the jump at the fourth last fence. “She took a little blow after and settled into it nicely. She had been a little fresh early on, but she got it out of her system and it was easy work then.
“She does everything so well, and I gave her a squeeze at the last and she just lengthened. She was so quick from one side to the other and she gives you such a lovely feel,” Townend said.
In an uncertain market with speculation surrounding the 2023 champion Constitution Hill in particular, Mullins at least confirmed that Lossiemouth’s target this season will be the championship.
“It was very impressive. They went very steady, which suited us. She has that bit of speed. She has a nice flat pedigree and when they went steady, it was bar a fall or something like that. She did make a bad mistake at the fourth last but when it came down to a speed race I thought she was going to win that anyway,” Mullins said.
He also indicated any dilemma Townend might face will be reserved for Cheltenham.
“I imagine we’ll try to keep them apart. There is no point us knocking our heads against one another. We can do that later on in the season and we’ll find out more about what’s in England.
“State Man will probably go to Leopardstown at Christmas. She went to the International Hurdle last year, but we’ll have to look at the conditions of that as it mightn’t suit. There is also Kempton and maybe that’s the one and let Anzadam go to the International.”
How tricky it can be picking from among Mullins’s talent pool had earlier been underlined in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle as the 10-1 Tounsivator upset the odds-on Romeo Coolio.
Townend’s pick from a handful of options was Belloccio but he could manage only fifth as Danny Mullins’s patience was rewarded from the final flight.
Romeo Coolio had been favourite for Cheltenham’s Supreme beforehand and the Triumph betting was also in flux following Willy De Houelle’s eclipse at even shorter odds in the Grade Three Juvenile Hurdle. This Mullins grey was powerless to repel Naturally Nimble in the closing stages and was quickly demoted from favouritism for the juvenile crown in March.
The €100,000 handicap hurdle produced an easy cross-channel success as Washington rewarded Harry Derham’s pluck, ultimately winning by five lengths from Enniskerry. Even an awkward jump at the last obstacle couldn’t stop the 4-1 favourite from putting the home team in their place.
It was a first winner in Ireland for jockey Paul O’Brien, originally from Mitchelstown but based in Britain for over a dozen years.
Gordon Elliott added to Croke Park’s Drinmore success with Koktail Brut who ran out an impressive winner of the bumper. The victory saw jockey Harry Swan ride out his claim.
