Lossiemouth (7-5 Favourite) fully justified the decision made by connections to run in the Unibet Champion Hurdle as she sauntered to a comfortable six-and-a-half length victory in today’s contest.

Partnered once again by Paul Townend, Lossiemouth was winning at The Festival for the fourth year in succession following her victories in the 2023 JCB Triumph Hurdle and 2024 and 2025 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.

Lossiemouth becomes the eighth mare to win the Unibet Champion Hurde. The seven previous mares to have won the Champion Hurdle are: African Sister (1939), Dawn Run (1984), Flakey Dove (1994), Annie Power (2016), Epatante (2020), Honeysuckle (2021 and 2022) and Golden Ace (2025).

Rich Ricci, husband of owner Susannah Ricci, said: It feels unbelievable. Magic. It’s 10 years since Annie Power won - it’s hard to win these races, and she always tries. All credit goes to Willie.

“The cheekpieces… Ten days ago Paul Townend said if he was going to ride one winner here, it was her in the mares’ race. The cheekpieces did the trick and here we are. It’s fantastic.”

Willie Mullins said: “She’s a star mare. Just to come back four years on the trot, never mind win, puts her in a league of her own I think. She’s nearly getting into Quevega territory.

“It was an open race and when I put cheekpieces on her the other morning I thought ‘Wow, that’s the old Lossiemouth’.

“I had a chat with Paul after the piece of work and he thought the same, so I had a quick chat with Rich after racing on Saturday evening and that was literally the first time we’d spoken about it. People think we talk about nothing else but we said we’d leave it until the last minute and that was nearly the last minute.”

Paul Townend said: “You probably couldn’t ride her to go any better than it did. She was much more like herself today than the last day; I knew very early that day that we weren’t going, and I knew very early today that we were. The race didn’t go totally as I had planned in my head - the start got messy, but it probably went better than I expected, with Jack in front of me, and I was able to do what I wanted.

“When you have a tricky one like that stopping at the start, I thought the rest of the horses were very well behaved and we were able to manage it together. It’s not easy when it’s so competitive like that to have a standing start.

“I thought Harry would go forward and Darragh O’Keefe would probably go with him, and Jack would be just behind them and I’d be there; I didn’t think I would be sitting second, but I was happy to be second - I was going to ride her wherever she was comfortable, and I was going to early enough whether she was on a going day or not.

“I think she’s so honest and genuine, that on her back you know whether it is happening or not. I don’t think it is the make-up of the race, I think it’s physically, mentally or emotionally - whatever it is that she’s got in her head - that matters, but she was on song today.

“When we worked her in cheekpieces, she just came alive. I was on the fence about the Champion Hurdle, but I thought she needed to find that little bit of spark that we thought she had before, but Willie has trained her differently as well, and he’s forgotten more about training racehorses than I’ve ever known. I thought I was happy and when I saw him smiling, that was it.

“I was just happy to land running at the back of the last hurdle this year - not like last year - and she’s got us on the board again. She’s brilliant.”

Michael O’Leary, owner of runner-up Brighterdaysahead, said: “Today was Lossiemouth’s day. No quibbles - the best horse won, and we weren’t the best horse on the day. I’m not sure the mares should get a 7lb allowance in these championship races, and I’ve owned the likes of Apples Jade, I own Brighterdaysahead - I think it is a little unfair on the geldings.

“They should be off level weights - that’s what championships should be about. There’s a mares’ hurdle if you want to go for that, but this weight allowance in championship races is a little unfair on the geldings.

“As long as all is well, we’ll probably go to Aintree for the two and a half mile race, and then she’s going jumping. If she stays fit and sound she’s definitely going chasing next year.”

Jack Kennedy, rider of Brighterdaysahead, added: “She ran a blinder, and that puts the whole ‘doesn't like Cheltenham’ thing to bed.

“Over two miles the ground was probably a shade quick for her. It’s not that she doesn’t act on it. She probably just wants further on it. I was happy enough in front. She jumped and travelled and she ran her race.”

Dan Skelton, trainer of third-placed The New Lion, said: “I imagine we’ll go to Aintree. The horse has run fantastically - jumped great, travelled round well, did everything he was asked to do. The preparation’s been good and he’s run his heart out - he just got beat. Hats off to the winners.”

Harry Skelton, rider of The New Lion, added: “He’s run really well. I think the horse we thought would probably really take the pace along didn’t get off to the greatest start and then we probably didn’t go that quick, but he’s run well and kept running to the line. He jumped really well, but they were always picking up in front of me. He was the best of the boys anyway!”

Brendan Powell, rider of the fourth Alexei, said: “I just said to Joe, missing the last meant we were probably fighting it out for fourth rather than third. But finishing fourth in a Champion Hurdle; he’s a cracking horse who’s had a great season, and we’ll keep going forward.”

Jeremy Scott, trainer of last year’s winner Golden Ace, who was fifth this time around, said: “If the ground had been softer, I think she’d have done better. She was just outpaced down the hill. Lorcan actually felt from halfway she was a bit outpaced and I think that was just the ground. The mistake at the second last didn’t help but the reality was that we weren’t quick enough.

“With hindsight we should have kept her in the Mares, and once Lossiemouth was coming here we should have done the opposite and gone there, but the owner was very keen to go in this again. We gave it a go, but we weren’t good enough. She’ll probably go to Punchestown now.”

Sussanah Ricci – 24 Festival wins
Willie Mullins – 115 Festival wins
Paul Townend - 39 Festival wins