Brighterdaysahead showing all the right signs ahead of Lossiemouth rematch

Gordon Elliott is relishing a rematch between Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The two star mares are among nine entries for the Grade One feature on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival, with Lossiemouth having come out on top by a length when they met for the first time in the December Hurdle at the Foxrock circuit over Christmas.

However, Brighterdaysahead had been off the track since the spring, with an autumn setback delaying her return and putting paid to plans to go novice chasing this season, meaning Elliott is expecting an improved performance from his seven-year-old when they lock horns again on February 1.

Speaking at Clonmel on Thursday, Elliott said: “I was delighted with her and looking at Shane McCann riding her out this morning he was at the pin of his collar to hold her. We came in for a cup of tea and I said ‘are you happy with her’ and he said ‘she’s improved no end’.

“Lossiemouth will still be hard to beat, but our mare stood in her stable for a couple of weeks at the end of November, so it wasn’t ideal.”

Lossiemouth is one of five Willie Mullins-trained entries along with Anzadam, Ballyburn, El Fabiolo and Poniros, while not for the first time King Of Kingsfield could be deployed as Brighterdaysahead’s pacesetting stablemate.

Elliott has a third string to his bow in Casheldale Lad, with Kerry Lee’s potential British raider Nemean Lion completing the list.

The first of four Grade Ones on the card is the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, a two-mile-furlong contest which features Mullins’ star novice Final Demand, Elliott’s Romeo Coolio and Henry de Bromhead’s exciting mare The Big Westerner.

Mullins has Davy Crockett, Sober, Sortudo and The Reverend among his team in the two-mile Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, while Elliott’s squad includes course and distance winner Ballyfad, Future Champions Novice Hurdle winner Skylight Hustle and El Cairos, who is ante-post favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival having looked set to run out an impressive winner on his hurdling debut at Leopardstown before falling at the final flight.

“Ballyfad doesn’t show a thing at home and he keeps winning, so I’d say he’s a very good horse,” Elliott added.

“El Cairos is a very quick horse. I don’t know how good he is, but he looks very, very good.”

There are plenty of top two-milers in contention for the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, including last year’s winner Solness (Joseph O’Brien), Queen Mother Champion Chase hero Marine Nationale (Barry Connell) and the Mullins ace Il Etait Temps, winner of the Tingle Creek at Sandown.