‘Queen of Cheltenham’ Lossiemouth cruises to Champion Hurdle win

Lossiemouth was labelled a “star mare” after cementing herself in Cheltenham Festival folklore with a dominant victory in the Champion Hurdle.

With 2023 champion Constitution Hill not running having switched from jumps to Flat racing, the field was wide open.

But it was Lossiemouth, the 2024 and 2025 winner of the Mares’ Hurdle, who justified her standing as 7-5 favourite.

With Paul Townend on board, the mare finished in front of Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and Dan Skelton’s The New Lion.

Trainer Willie Mullins told ITV: “She’s a star mare. To come back four years in a row, let alone win, that is incredible.

“When I put her cheek pieces on her I thought, wow, that’s the old Lossiemouth.”

Jockey Townend added: “It’s easy when they have as much ability as she does. She turns up and she does her business.”

Having also had two victories in the Mares’ Hurdle and the 2023 Triumph Hurdle, Lossiemouth is now a four-time winner at the Cheltenham Festival.

Owner Rich Ricci said the Champion Hurdle success on her first attempt was “great for the sport”.

He told ITV: “Unbelievable, magic, great. It is hard to win these races, and she always tries.

“All credit goes to Willie [Mullins] – 10 days ago, he said he wanted to try her with cheek pieces, and it worked.

“She loves this place, long may it last.”

BBC Radio 5 Live’s John Hunt was also left impressed by the performance in the Champion Hurdle.

In the Festival’s opening race, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Old Park Star claimed victory in superb fashion for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Nico de Boinville.

The favourite turned the final corner in third place, but recovered well after Sober Glory and Mydaddypaddy forced the highest-rated horse at the Festival to work hard for the success.

A delighted De Boinville told ITV the horse was “incredibly gutsy”.

“I thought he would stay well and eat up the hill and that is what he has done,” he said. “We even missed the last and still managed to win.”

Owner Gordon Hall told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: “We are just very happy that he has come home in one piece, and he has won.

“Not been great for the nerves, but he is a lovely horse. He has done lots of good work at home.

“Everything has gone right, but as you know, on the way to these things, you have got to keep the horses right and sound.”

In perhaps the match-up of the day, Mullins’ Kopek des Bordes and Henderson’s Lulamba went head-to-head in the Arkle Chase.

But a costly mistake at the penultimate, and final fence, by the two favourites gave 7-1 shot Kargese – also trained by Mullins – the success.

Owner Kenny Alexander told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: “I have been lucky to win a few here, but that is right up here.

“She is a proper, proper horse. She got the job done and she won fair and square. She is top-notch, definitely second best now by a country mile [behind Honeysuckle].”

Jockey Danny Mullins described trainer, and uncle, Willie, as “a master” after the win.

“To be part of that team is just unbelievable,” he told ITV. “To get days like these – they are not a given – I am lucky that I have ridden Cheltenham winners and I hope I have more.”

It was a 75th birthday to savour for owner JP McManus, with two winners at the Festival taking his Cheltenham tally to 86.

The Irishman’s celebrations started when 10-1 chance Saratoga pipped Winston Junior and Klycot to the finish line in the Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

McManus told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: “Great to celebrate it [birthday] with a winner, especially at Cheltenham.

“I’ve had winners here on my birthday before, but you never get tired of it.

“They were worried about the ground, that it was going to be too soft. They were very encouraged – he is like a rubber ball – he bounces off of it.”

McManus then recorded back-to-back victories with 18-1 shot Johnnywho, trained by Jonjo O’Neill, in the Ultima Handicap Chase.

In beating stablemate and 3-1 favourite Jagwar, it was a successful return to the spotlight for the owner, who didn’t run any horses in the winter.