The Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle looks set for a top class renewal in 2024. With eight going to post, and the second and third favourites for the Champion Hurdle among them, here is how the race could pan out.
State Man completed back-to-back wins when an unchallenged 1/6 shot last year. The hat-trick could be on the cards despite a greater test this time around.
STATE MAN
(Willie Mullins/Paul Townend)
Still only a seven-year-old and likely to be forever underrated, State Man is now a winner of 12 of his 14 races for Willie Mullins. That includes victories in all of his last six contests, all of which have been Grade 1s, and though he has not necessarily blown his rivals away, he has dispatched any rival who has dared to challenge him with minimal fuss.
His nine-length defeat by Constitution Hill in the 2023 Champion Hurdle will always be held over him as a reason to diminish his greatness, but no Irish-trained horse has ever come close to beating him once he has reached the finish line. There are at least two very plausible contenders to dethrone him in this race, though proven form in open company still makes State Man a strong favourite.
LOSSIEMOUTH
(Willie Mullins/Patrick Mullins)
Comfortably the closest pretender to State Man’s crown as the champion Irish hurdle over shorter trips, Lossiemouth was in a league of her own within her division last term, stepping up markedly on her juvenile form to rout her opponents on all three starts. She easily beat the Brits in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham, then sauntered to victory against her fellow mares at Cheltenham and Punchestown.
No mare could have lived her outside of novice company last term. Eventually, connections were always going to be tempted to find out what she could do against her more vaunted stablemate State Man. She is a shorter price for the Champion Hurdle than he is, and won in flashier fashion last term, but this will be a far sterner examination of her ability.
BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD
(Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy)
Another mare with a tall reputation is Brighterdaysahead, who is now five from six over hurdles and has continued to improve on her form start upon start. Her only defeat came in a slowly run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival when she was carrying a penalty, but she annihilated the boys at Aintree thereafter and reappeared by beating a decent yardstick from a neighbouring box despite conceding him 6lb.
This is a whole new ball game, but Gordon Elliott mentioned that she could be Champion Hurdle quality after her return at Down Royal. At the very least, it will be interesting to see how she fares against Lossiemouth, as they would be the clear top two in the Mares’ Hurdle division should they revert to that division.
THE FIELD
Both No Looking Back and Smooth Tom have some half decent form in the book, but both look vastly outclassed here, with their ratings in the low 130s as proof of that. Connections will hope they can hold their own for as long as possible.
The remaining trio are all Willie Mullins inmates. Sir Gerhard was the most talented at his best and can still hold his own at Graded level, but was 24 lengths behind State Man in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. Daddy Long Legs has his own pieces of smart form, but is wildly inconsistent, while Winter Fog is facing his first Grade 1 assignment here at the age of ten having never suggested he was truly up to this class.
VERDICT
A terrific contest if the field holds up. Lossiemouth is fancied to give STATE MAN more to do than ever before, but the two-time defending champion of this can make it three in a row. It is possible we have never seen him fully extended for any of his victories, and there may be more in his locker should either Lossiemouth or Brighterdaysahead serve it up to him. Gordon Elliott’s mare might struggle to do that at this trip, especially if the ground is on the quicker side of soft, so Lossiemouth is second choice. The trio look well clear of the rest if they are all on their game.
- State Man
- Lossiemouth
- Brighterdaysahead
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