Lossiemouth puts the seal on highly successful campaign

Lossiemouth demonstrated her dominance over her Willie Mullins-trained stablemates to win the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle.

The grey claimed two juvenile contests impressively at the start of the campaign but was then defeated when hindered in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Her conqueror was Gala Marceau and the two fillies met again in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, where Lossiemouth prevailed by two and a quarter lengths and set the record straight.

Under Paul Townend at Punchestown she backed up that success when pulling away to a length-and-a-half victory over Zarak The Brave and Gala Marceau as the 1-2 favourite.

“We bought her in France from Yannick Fouin and he was full of her when he had her. We were lucky enough to get her,” said Mullins.

“You think you are buying nice horses all the time but this filly looks to be a cut above, for a filly to go through the whole season and come out at every festival.

“Christmas, the Dublin Racing Festival and to get hammered there, back to Cheltenham and back here today, that’s incredible for a four-year-old filly.

“She’ll need a long break now after that to recover. She’s been very good to us.

“I’m looking forward to maybe the Mares’ Hurdle next year. Normally those juveniles work into staying hurdlers which would be the Mares’ Hurdle or the Stayers’ Hurdle, but I’m just wondering could she be a Champion Hurdle filly in two years’ time?

“She has huge reserves and she’s sound as a pound. Half the battle of being a good horse is being sound.

“We’ve so many talented horses, but they’re not sound and they miss a year. Look at the likes of Monkfish and Asterion Forlonge this week, if they were sound they could win a lot more but it’s a high level of training and racing and it’s tough.

“In any sport the top players pick up injuries and careers are done because they pick up injuries. Racing is no different.”