David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle Tips & Predictions
The first day of the Cheltenham Festival is littered with high-class racing, and the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle is no exception.
A field of 11 has been declared for the race, including last year’s winner, Lossiemouth.
Connections have made the decision to go here in preference to the Champion Hurdle and for all she increases the quality, it arguably reduces the competitiveness of the race, with Lossiemouth a short-priced favourite to repeat her success from 12 months ago.
There is plenty of high-class opposition to her though, and perhaps different connections will go on to land the spoils.
15:20 David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (2m4f)
With 11 declared and plenty of last time out winners in the field, a case can be made for a few of these, citing possible improvement and what their victories were worth last time.
However it is hard to look past Lossiemouth. She has been campaigned at the highest level this season in open company, finding only Constitution Hill too strong in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, having won the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle well prior to this.
Her fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time is not ideal, but if suffering no ill-effects from this she has proven herself the best mare in the field. Her success in the race 12 months ago is the best form on offer, and she arguably could have won by a wider margin had Paul Townend asked her to.
The step back up in trip will see her able to perform to her highest level, as well as the switch back into mares company. She is undefeated over the 2m4f trip. The combination of the two, as we saw 12 months ago, can see her land the spoils in the race for the second time.
She has won five Grade 1’s, including in open company, in both the Triumph Hurdle and Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.
Only two other horses in the field have won at the highest level over hurdles, Jade De Grugy and Gala Marceau, both are trained by Willie Mullins.
Over the course of the past decade Mullins has been successful in the race four times, including last year of course, while Townend has won the race on two occasions. They look set to team up for another victory here.
Of those who might pose the biggest threat to Lossiemouth, stablemate Jade De Grugy has the strongest form claims and is also likely at her best over 2m4f.
The lightly raced six-year-old has only tasted defeat once in her six career starts, however, the concern would be that this defeat was at the festival last year, finishing fourth in the Mares’ Novices Hurdle. This is her only defeat to date. Following last season she had been off the track for more than 300 days, but this was of no issue, winning comfortably on reappearance. A repeat of this form can see her finish second.
Selection: Lossiemouth
