"We're going to go for the Champion Hurdle" - Brighterdaysahead to take on Constitution Hill at Cheltenham
Gordon Elliott has confirmed Brighterdaysahead will compete in the 2025 Champion Hurdle, taking on Constitution Hill. Having won two top two-mile hurdles in Ireland this season, Elliott believes this is the best chance for Brighterdaysahead to win the prestigious race. Despite the competition from champions like State Man and talented mares like Lossiemouth, Elliott is confident in his mare's preparation and strength. With jockey Jack Kennedy aboard, Brighterdaysahead is poised to make a significant impact at the Cheltenham Festival, promising an exhilarating race for horse racing enthusiasts.
- Gordon Elliott confirms Brighterdaysahead for 2025 Champion Hurdle
- Mare has won two major hurdles in Ireland this season
- Competition includes Constitution Hill, State Man, and Lossiemouth
Gordon Elliott has finally confirmed that Brighterdaysahead will take on Constitution Hill in the 2025 Champion Hurdle.
Elliott promised that plans for Brighterdaysahead would be confirmed in the week before the Cheltenham Festival, and Gordon stuck to his word. Early on Monday morning, X was sent in to meltdown, when the news that everyone in racing was hoping for broke in the media.
"After discussing it with Michael and Eddie (O'Leary) we're going to go for the Champion Hurdle with Brighterdaysahead." Elliott told the Racing Post.
"None of us has won the Champion Hurdle before and we feel this is probably our best chance yet. Jack Kennedy has always been her biggest fan and he will ride her."
Brighterdaysahead has won two of the three top two-mile hurdles staged in Ireland this season. Having won at Down Royal on her reappearance, Elliott's mare got the better of State Man to win the Morgiana Hurdle, before destroying her rival by 30 lengths when powering to victory in the Savills Hurdle over Christmas.
Elliott then allowed State Man and Lossiemouth to fight between themselves at the Dublin Racing Festival, instead focussing on his mare's Cheltenham Festival prep. The Mares' Hurdle would seem like a penalty kick to connections of Brighterdaysahead, but they've chosen to take the brave route and Gordon couldn't be more complimentary of his rising stable star.
"The mare is in mighty form and I couldn't be any happier with her." Elliott continued. "She's pleased me every step of the way since Leopardstown at Christmas and she has even filled out and strengthened up a lot since you saw her last. She's a really powerful mare now and we feel she deserves to take her chance in the big one.
"Shane McCann who rides her out every day is very happy and, touch wood, her preparation for Cheltenham has gone very smoothly."
"It's obviously a very hot race and I have deep respect for Constitution Hill. He's one of the best hurdlers we've ever seen, while State Man is a winning machine and was a very good winner of last year's Champion Hurdle. Lossiemouth is an extremely talented mare, too, so it's a really hot race, but there is only one Champion Hurdle and we're looking forward to having a go."
Brighterdaysahead will now take on Constitution Hill for the first time in the feature on day one of the Cheltenham Festival. State Man, the defending champion, will also feature in the field. Willie Mullins has been keen to reiterate that the Champion Hurdle remains the plan for Lossiemouth since her fall at Leopardstown, but there is a slim chance she could be rerouted to the Mares' Hurdle, now that Brighterdaysahead is officially out of the picture.
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