Lossiemouth holds off Brighterdaysahead to take December Hurdle spoils
Paul Townend onboard Lossiemouth comes home to win. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho
The Grade One December Hurdle served up a fascinating feature race to wrap up the 2025 Leopardstown Christmas festival, and winning machine Lossiemouth put a 13th victory on her card, though there was certainly no luck required for the Willie Mullins-trained mare.
To this day, only stablemate Gala Marceau and fallen idol Constitution Hill can claim to have lowered the colours of the six-year-old in her completed starts, but last year’s winner, Brighterdaysahead, gave it a good go on this occasion.
The race was moving along quite predictably until Anzadam, racing far too keenly, pulled his way to the front going to the fourth-last. He winged that flight, which then put pressure on the chasers to follow him, even though it was almost inevitable that his effort would peter out.
Kept a good bit off the inside rail, Lossiemouth led the chase, with Brighterdaysahead stalking her throughout.
As the toll began on tell on Anzadam, shortly after turning for home, the grey mare took over and stretched on down to the final flight a couple in front of Brighterdaysahead.
Paul Townend had to get quite serious on the 4-6 favourite but she kept finding for pressure, and was forging on again close home as she landed the €88,500 winner’s cheque with a length to spare.
“She was brilliant,” said a delighted Townend. “I was anxious, when Patrick flew the couple of hurdles when he went by us to, not leave him off too far because he wasn't a dead duck in the race, and he had had the run in Newcastle.
“It probably got me racing a little bit sooner than if he hadn’t gone by, but I wanted to mark him and try and cover all bases and make the rest of them dance to my tune as much as I could.
“She’s very straightforward. She’s a gem to have and she has turned up every day, even when I didn’t turn up on her back here one day, she still turned up and ran a cracker. She’s a mighty mare - we’re lucky to have her.”
A little earlier in the day, Denis Hogan, in the guise of jockey and trainer, took the Donohue Marquees Maiden Hurdle with the talented Frankie John.
He and market leader Jalon d’Oudairies pulled a long way clear of the field and it was only in the final strides that the point-to-point and bumper winner forged ahead to put a first hurdling victory on his card.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning colours of Barry Maloney were in the winner’s enclosure here on Sunday when Koktail Divin secured his first win over fences, and they were back in focus when Walks In June, bred by Sean Harnedy, made a winning handicap debut in the SIS Supporting Irish Racing EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle.
After quickening past leader Ma Jacks Hill going to the last, he picked up really well to comfortably fend off favourite Fierce Handay.
Pat Collins and Eoghan Finegan teamed up to take the Neville Hotels Premier Handicap Hurdle with Champagne Kid.
It took the bumper winner eight goes to break his duck over timber and, after doing that just last month at Punchestown, he was even more impressive in following up in this tougher assignment.
