Lossiemouth and Cheltenham are an irresistible combination

The grey mare’s Cheltenham record was flawless going into Tuesday’s feature race and remained so afterwards the two miles

Paul Townend celebrates aboard Lossiemouth after winning the Unibet Champion Hurdle on day one of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Some things are just meant to be. Ten years ago, Annie Power, a mare trained by Willie Mullins and owned by Rich and Susannah Ricci, was belatedly granted a shot at the Champion Hurdle and rose majestically to the challenge.

A decade on, Lossiemouth was somewhat surprisingly given the chance to land hurdling’s most cherished prize and, like Annie Power, she did so in style, drawing away from Brighterdaysahead and The New Lion in the closing stages to claim her fourth Festival success.