Honeysuckle will be bidding for a fourth Irish Champion Hurdle win in succession as the 2023 Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown reaches its climax.
Rachael Blackmore will take her regular ride on the great 9-year-old mare, winner of the last two Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham, for trainer Henry de Bromhead.
But Honeysuckle finds herself in an unfamiliar position; coming into a race on the back of a defeat. Her run of 16 wins from 16 races came to an end at Fairyhouse in December when only good enough for third in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 3rd, 3:00 P.M. (GMT)
That defeat plus a run of five straight wins for Willie Mullins’ main challenger makes Honeysuckle only second favourite for the race, 2.75 with William Hill, drifting from 2.25 this morning.
That challenger is State Man, a 6-year-old and regular ride of Paul Townend, who is at 2.00.
After success in the County Handicap Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, he stepped up effortlessly to Grade 1 company, taking the Champion Novice and Morgiana Hurdles, both at Punchestown, before most recently winning the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown in December.
That Matheson triumph over Sunday’s course and 2 mile distance saw him finish 4 ¼ lengths clear of Vauban and distancing Pied Piper, both of whom are back again this weekend.
Vauban is currently third favourite at 4.00 and definitely has the capabilities to challenge the top two.
Another from Mullins’ stable, this will be his tenth race, making him a relatively experienced 5-year-old.
That second in the Matheson is also his most recent outing and was his first partnership with Danny Mullins, who will likely be on board again.
Paul Townend had ridden him for his glorious 2022, where his other three runs had all been wins at Grade 1 level; the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at this meeting last year, the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Champion 4-Year-Old Hurdle at Punchestown.
Pied Piper, meanwhile, at 26.00 is not expected to improve on his position in the Matheson.
One of Gordon Elliott’s two runners, the 5-year-old will run in Grade 1 company for the fourth time and is yet to get a win at this level. He did land a Grade 2 hurdle at Down Royal in November under Jack Kennedy, but Davy Russell takes the ride this time.
Elliott’s other runner, Zanahiyr, is at 17.00 and has had an uninspiring season thus far. Also normally ridden by Kennedy, Denis O’Regan will be on board on Sunday.
101.00 outsider Takarengo makes up the field.
