Mullins defends Lossiemouth Cheltenham Festival switch

Willie Mullins has defended the decision to run Lossiemouth in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham rather than tackle the Champion Hurdle on the same day.

The six-year-old is a dual Festival winner, with victory in the Mares’ Hurdle 12 months ago preceded by Triumph Hurdle success in 2023.

For much of this season the Champion Hurdle was set to be her primary objective, but after dominating the Stayers’ Hurdle winner Teahupoo in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse on her season reappearance, she had to settle for second behind Constitution Hill at Kempton.

Lossiemouth then suffered a crashing fall in last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle, but connections still pointed towards the Champion Hurdle as the fruition of a long-term plan.

But while Gordon Elliott nailed his colours to the Champion Hurdle mast with his star mare Brighterdaysahead, Lossiemouth was also left in the Mares’ Hurdle at the confirmation stage and the final call to take the perceived easier option came when declarations were made on Sunday.

Explaining the decision at Cheltenham on Monday morning, Mullins told Racing TV: “I think she’s good. She’s good enough and worked nicely last week, but I was happy enough that State Man worked better than her and Paul (Townend) was not going to ride her in the Champion Hurdle, so that made it (running in Mares’ Hurdle) the obvious thing to do I think.

“It’s been our plan for two years to run her in the Champion Hurdle, but after work the other day we felt she’d just be a runner. It’s disappointing and I’m thinking where will she meet those horses, maybe at Aintree or something like that.

“She’ll get her chance to meet them at some stage but coming here this week, my duty is to get winners for owners and her best chance of a win is in the Mares’ Hurdle, we think, rather than the Champion Hurdle.

“Rich (Ricci) has put big investment into the game and everyone wants to have a winner here at the Festival. You can slice and dice it whatever way you want and you say ‘where is the best opportunity’ and that is where the best opportunity was.”

The Closutton handler also saddles Jade De Grugy, who would have been favourite but for Lossiemouth’s late switch following a comeback win at Punchestown last month, as well as Gala Marceau.

Nicky Henderson’s Joyeuse looked set to miss Cheltenham following her lucrative success in the William Hurdle at Newbury last month as she is one short of the five runs required to be eligible for the Festival’s handicap hurdles.

However, connections decided to supplement her for the Mares’ Hurdle last week.

“She is very good and she’s improving, but she’s going to have to improve again,” said Henderson.

“She did win at Newbury very impressively, but she wasn’t carrying a lot of weight and the handicapper gave her 15lb. Realistically we need to find another 10lb.

“We supplemented her and we decided to do that before Brighterdaysahead committed to the Champion Hurdle. We’re not running for place money, but if she does get place money it will cover her supplementary fee. She is well, she’s got to improve again, but she might do.”

Henry de Bromhead, who saddled the great Honeysuckle to win this race twice either side of her Champion Hurdle victories in 2021 and 2022, is this year represented by July Flower.

Having begun her career in France, the six-year-old then had one run for De Bromhead at Aintree before returning to her homeland for well over a year.

De Bromhead spotted the opportunity to buy back July Flower last summer, going to £350,000 to secure her services, and she made an impressive second debut for the yard in a Grade Three at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

“She’s great and she’s flying, in really good form,” said De Bromhead.

“We backed off her after Leopardstown, she’s a lovely mare and I was delighted we were able to get her.

“We had her as a young horse, then she moved to France and when she came on the market she was one that we were keen to get, so it’s great that she justified getting her at Christmas and hopefully she’ll do that at Cheltenham.”