Zanoosh out to extend winning streak in Honeysuckle Hurdle

Zanoosh is tasked with ending Willie Mullins’ dominance in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle when she bids to take her winning streak to five at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

Mullins has won the last four runnings of this Grade One event and six times in the last eight years.

But he may not have it all his own way if Colm Murphy’s exciting six-year-old can repeat the heroics that have seen her rack up win after win in recent months.

Murphy said: “She’s been a revelation and keeps answering every call so far and we just hope she keeps on improving.

“We don’t know how good she could be and we haven’t done too much with her at home to find out, we simply keep her ticking over in between races. We’re hoping more than anything else and she won well the last day, I’d say that was her best win.

“This will be the day we will learn plenty and hopefully she can run another big race.”

Mullins will field a five-strong team, with Paul Townend opting for Charme De Faust, who was fourth to White Noise in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. It was Gordon Elliott’s Oldschool Outlaw who got closest to White Noise and she bids to go one place better in the hands of Mark Walsh.

There is also a strong contingent from Britain, with Harry Derham’s Jackie Hobbs leading the charge having outrun long odds to be fifth to White Noise at the Festival.

She is set to be suited by a return to further, with Noel Fehily of the syndicate which carries his name saying: “We’re looking forward to this having run an absolute blinder at Cheltenham. She probably wants this sort of trip and we’re delighted to be heading to Fairyhouse.

“We were worried before Cheltenham that two miles would be on the sharp side for her. She had won over further before that at Warwick and Harry Skelton who rode her that day felt she would stay further again, so we think she will get three miles in time, but this trip is probably ideal for her right now.”

Jamie Snowden’s A Path To Ronda and David Pipe’s Kingston Queen are other British-trained runners set to face the starter.