Lossiemouth clears the last ahead of Zarak The Brave © Photo Healy Racing
The Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle, the final Grade 1 of the festival, was another Wille Mulins benefit as he saddled the first three home with 1/2 favourite Lossiemouth following up on her win in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The grey daughter of Great Pretender tracked the leaders and went past Gala Marceau to take up the running on the approach to the last. Zarak The Brave had got a good run around on the inner under Daryl Jacob and gave chase on the run-in but the market leader held him off by a length and half with Gala Marceau back in third,
This made it a treble on the final day of the festival for Mullins and winner number 17 of the week.
Paddy Power make Lossiemouth 3-1 fav from 4-1 fav for the Mares' Hurdle, 10-1 from 16 for the Champion Hurdle and 16-1 from 20s for the Arkle.
“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.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
