Lossiemouth, trained by Willie Mullins, secured victory in the Coolmore N.H. Sires Bolshoi Ballet Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown, completing a Cheltenham-Punchestown double for the second consecutive season. Under jockey Paul Townend, the five-year-old mare crossed the finish line seven lengths ahead of her competitors, displaying superiority over other mares. Speculation is now circulating whether Lossiemouth will compete against male horses in future elite races, with hints towards aiming for the Champion Hurdle next year.
Ballyburn made impressively light work of the Gallagher Novices' Hurdle on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival . The 1-2 favourite was one of five runners for the all-conquering Willie Mullins and travelled strongly behind the leaders under Paul Townend. When the field rounded the final bend there was no question whatsoever as to the outcome, with the Ronnie Bartlett-owned six-year-old strolling away from stablemate Jimmy Du Seuil to win by a yawning 13 lengths. Another Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, was a further three and a half lengths back in third. Just for good measure Mullins was also responsible for Mercurey (fourth) and Predators Gold (fifth).
Impaire Et Passe won the Aintree Hurdle in a close finish, surviving a stewards' inquiry into possible interference. Willie Mullins, the trainer, was delighted with the victory and Paul Townend, the jockey, felt confident they would keep the win after reviewing the overhead angle footage. Bob Olinger and Langer Dan also had strong performances in the race. Meanwhile, Gordon Elliott's Gerri Colombe won the Grade One feature, and Paul Nicholls's Sans Bruit took the first prize in the Red Rum Handicap Chase.
Irish trainer Willie Mullins achieved his first-ever wins at Ayr racecourse in Scotland, securing victories in four races, including the feature race with Macdermott. With odds like 7/1, 18/1, 12/1, and 8/11, Mullins' success was unexpected and remarkable. Mullins is now on the verge of potentially winning the British Trainers' Championship, a title no Irish trainer has held since 1954. His recent achievements are likened to a tennis player winning all four Grand Slam events or a Premier League team completing the treble.
This has perhaps been a rather flat Cheltenham Festival but it is a huge positive that it will conclude with an excellent running of the Boodles Gold Cup. Defending champion GALOPIN DES CHAMPS remains the outstanding candidate, yet he looks like he will face a stiffer examination than he did 12 months ago, when he beat Bravemansgame seven lengths. The notion that last years race may have left its mark on the Willie Mullins-trained gelding was floated when he was beaten in his next two races. But such scepticism quickly evaporated with his brilliant win at Leopardstown over Christmas , when he trounced a below-par Gerri Colombe, and a thoroughly professional defeat of Fastorslow back at the track in the Irish Gold Cup last month. Fastorslow, who has twice finished a close second at the Festival, is still respected.
A genius with moist eyes. Other than for that slight glistening, the slim-set, quietly spoken, neatly groomed star of this Cheltenham Festival was a picture of calm. This was Willie Mullins, trainer supreme, who turned this wonderful swathe of Cotswold England into reliably Irish turf over this week and, indeed, the last decade. He had just seen 10-11 favourite Galopin Des Champs win the Gold Cup and enter the company of immortals, alongside the likes of Easter Hero and Golden Miller harking back to the Festivals origins precisely a century ago, moving on to Arkle and LEscargot, then to modern greats Best Man and Al Boum Photo. And Galopin Des Champs second successive victory in the big race was a brilliant one, hard-fought, swerving a loose horse after pouncing from a long-held waiting-and-watching position to take the lead two fences out, jockey Paul Townend having to demand more than usual from the beast Mullins saluted as a superstar.
Lossiemouth Football Club are a senior football club from Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland. They play in the Highland Football League.Founded in 1945, they were admitted to the Highland League for season 1946-47 and have played in this league since that point. The club's home stadium is Grant Park.Traditionally a team hovering around the lower end of the league table, Lossiemouth have enjoyed several cup successes, including a period in the mid 1990s that saw the club win a hat-trick of North of Scotland Cups and a Highland League Cup over a period of three seasons as well as several top three placings in the Highland League.Lossiemouth are full members of the Scottish Football Association, and are therefore permitted to play in the Scottish Cup.
The 2024 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 12 March 2024. It was the 94th running of the Champion Hurdle.The race was won by 2/5 favourite State Man, ridden by Paul Townend and trained by Willie Mullins.
Since the withdrawal of Constitution Hill from the Champion Hurdle last week - State Man has been the overwhelming favourite to win the feature race of day one at the Cheltenham Festival. The French gelding is currently 4/11 to finish first past the post, followed by Irish Point and Iberico Lord at 11/2 and 10/1 respectively . State Man has looked strong in his last four performances, winning all of them by a combined margin of more than 16 lengths. State Man to win by five lengths and Irish Point to finish second in the Champion Hurdle is 4/1 The seven-year-old was particularly at his brilliant best in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out, besting former Turner Novices' Chase champion Bob Olinger by five-and-a-half-lengths. With that in mind, if you're tipping State Man to make light work of his opposition, Sky Bet are offering a 'Price Boost' for the Champion Hurdle that involves the Willie Mullins-trained horse.
The Scottish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ayr, South Ayrshire, over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. It is a limited handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.The event was established in 1966, and the inaugural winner was Blue Venom. For a period it was classed at Listed level, and it was promoted to Grade 2 status in 1991. The race used to be held on the day before the Scottish Grand National, but both events have taken place on the same day since 1994. Its present sponsor, CPMS, has backed the race since 2019.Several winners of the Scottish Champion Hurdle have also achieved victory in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The most recent was Alderbrook, the winner of the latter contest in 1995. Captain Christy won the race in 1973, the year before winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a novice. Another Irish-trained horse, Golden Cygnet, suffered fatal injuries when he fell in the 1978 running.
Lossiemouth (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Losaidh) is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over the past 250 years and consists of four separate communities that eventually merged into one. From 1890 to 1975, it was a police burgh as Lossiemouth and Branderburgh.Stotfield, the first significant settlement (discounting Kinneddar which has now disappeared), lies to the north west of the town. Next was the Seatown – a small area between the river and the canal inholding of 52 houses, 51 of which are the historic fisher cottages. When the new harbour was built on the River Lossie, the 18th-century planned town of Lossiemouth, built on a grid system, was established on the low ground below the Coulard Hill. Branderburgh formed the final development during the 19th century. This part of the town developed entirely as a result of the new harbour with its two basins, and eventually covered the entire Coulard Hill; it has an impressive profile when seen from a distance.
The greatest show on turf roars back into action on Tuesday as the Cheltenham Festival gets underway . There are a number of big races on the first day , with Willie Mullins' stable contenders in several races in what are expected to be very wet conditions on the Old Course . Mail Sport's Marcus Townend has backed Quilixios to win the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase at 2:10pm at 7-2 with Paddy Power and 11-2 Chianti Classico to claim the Ultima Handicap Chase at 2:50pm. At 10-1, Iberico Lord is his each-way tip for the Champions Hurdle at 3:30pm, while 14-1 Bright Legend could spark a surprise in the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle at 4:50pm. Former Cheltenham winner Lizzie Kelly, meanwhile, has backed 9-2 Slade Steel to get the job done in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at 1:30pm and Il Etait Temps to win the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase.
The Punchestown Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.The present version of the race was introduced in 1999, and it was initially sponsored by Shell. Several different sponsors have followed, including Emo Oil, ACCBank, Rabobank, Racing Post and Betdaq. Its current sponsor, Paddy Power, began supporting the race in 2021.The field usually includes horses which ran previously in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, and the last to win both events in the same year was Honeysuckle in 2022. For a period the race was restricted to horses aged five or older, but the minimum age was lowered to four in 2009.
The 2023 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 14 March 2023. It was the 93rd running of the Champion Hurdle.The race was won by 4/11 favourite Constitution Hill, ridden by Nico de Boinville and trained by Nicky Henderson.
Tuesday provided plenty of thrills, spills and if you had a bit of luck dollar bills, and we wouldnt be surprised if day twos Cheltenham Festival line-up is just as much of a rollercoaster ride for punters as well as your humble bookmaking pal. Whether youre up, down or somewhere in the middle after day one though theres still seven more smashing races of top class National Hunt fare to get stuck into on Wednesday try to contain your excitement. Well know by about 1.35pm whether Willie Mullins made the right call in diverting Ballyburn to the Gallagher Novices Hurdle after Slade Steel franked the form in Tuesdays opener. If Ballyburn disappoints, Mullins still saddles market leaders Fact To File (2.
The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late January or early February.The event was established in 1950, and it is now one of two Irish races, along with the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, which can be seen as equivalents of the Champion Hurdle in England. The most recent winner of the Leopardstown version to win the Champion Hurdle in the same season was Honeysuckle in 2022. The Irish Champion Hurdle was sponsored by AIG Europe from 1993 to 2008, by Toshiba in 2009 and 2010 and by BHP Insurance from 2011 to 2019. The race has been sponsored by PCI since 2020 and is now part of the Dublin Racing Festival weekend.
Danehill (26 March 1986 – 13 May 2003) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who was the most successful sire of all time with 349 stakes winners and 89 Grade 1 winners. He was the leading sire in Australia nine times, the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland three times and the leading sire in France twice.
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong (2 miles and 87 yards, or 3,298 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is the last leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling and is scheduled to take place each year on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in March.As its title suggests, the Champion Hurdle is the most prestigious hurdling event in the National Hunt calendar. Its list of winners features many of the most highly acclaimed hurdlers in the sport's history, and several of these, such as National Spirit, Istabraq, Hatton's Grace, Persian War and Lanzarote, have had races named in their honour.As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online gambling operator Unibet, the race is now known as the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Nicky Henderson and his horses have had a miserable Cheltenham Festival after seven of them pulled out due to illness, seeing him lose out on almost 1.3million. The most notable is Shishkin, who was in the running for 351,688 in Friday's Cheltenham Gold Cup. It has been a dire time for Henderson, who had to withdraw 2023 Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill with a respiratory illness prior to the festival. He previously said: 'It is impossible to identify any reason for all the disappointments and none of these horses have given us any cause for concern.
Lossiemouth Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland. The building is currently used as a community events venue.
The Punchestown Champion Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the William Hill Champion Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong (3,219 metres) and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April.It was formerly a handicap race, and for much of the 1990s and early 2000s it was usually sponsored by BMW. It became a conditions race in 1999, and it was subsequently backed by Betdaq (2004) and Kerrygold (2005–09) and Boylesports (2010–19). The present sponsor, William Hill, began to support the event in 2021.The field usually includes horses which ran previously in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the last to win both races in the same year was Energumene in 2023.
Galopin Des Champs (foaled 12 May 2016) is a French-bred Irish-Trained thoroughbred racehorse competing in National Hunt racing. He won the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup, ridden by his regular jockey Paul Townend.
Paul Townend (born 15 September 1990) is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. Townend comes from Lisgoold in County Cork and rides primarily for the stable of Irish trainer Willie Mullins. Townend has worked for Mullins since beginning his career as an apprentice flat racing jockey. He is a six-time Irish jump racing Champion Jockey. He was champion in the 2010–11, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23 seasons.In 2019 he gave Willie Mullins his first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner with Al Boum Photo; he repeated this success in 2020, and recorded his third win in the race in 2023 on Galopin Des Champs. Following the retirement of Ruby Walsh, Townend became the number-one jockey to the Mullins yard.
The Lossiemouth Sandstone is a Middle to Late Triassic (Ladinian to Norian) age geological formation. It is exposed on the south side of the Moray Firth near Lossiemouth and near Golspie in Sutherland. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
Trainer Nicky Henderson's star horse Constitution Hill was rushed to a veterinary hospital with suspected colic, resulting in a withdrawal from the Cheltenham Festival. Despite fears the horse may never race again, Henderson remains hopeful for a recovery as the horse is reintroduced to a normal diet. Plans for upcoming races at Punchestown and Aintree are uncertain, depending on Constitution Hill's health progress. Henderson expressed relief that surgery was avoided so far and aims for the horse's safe return.
Rachael Blackmore MBE (born 11 July 1989) is an Irish jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. In 2021, she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the race. She also became the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with six victories, including the Champion Hurdle, in 2021. The following year she became the first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.Blackmore's achievements saw her named the 2021 RTÉ Sports Person of the Year and the BBC World Sport Star of the Year.
William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a 17 time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer.
The Champion Jockey of National Hunt racing in Ireland is the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a season. The list below shows the Champion Jockey for each year since 1946. The current champion, as of 2023, is Paul Townend.
Wings of Eagles (foaled 17 March 2014) is a French-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He is best known for his victory in the 2017 Epsom Derby at odds of 40–1, having never previously won a stakes race. He sustained a career-ending injury when finishing third in the Irish Derby on his only subsequent appearance.
Rachael Blackmore
Sky Sports
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