English/Ire
Lossiemouth canters to Morgiana victory
Super-sub Lossiemouth ensured Willie Mullins’ Unibet Morgiana Hurdle dominance continued when she ran out an effortless all-the-way winner in the hands of Paul Townend.
An eleven-time winner from fourteen starts, Lossiemouth headed into the contest looking to put her Champion Hurdle credentials to the test as Willie Mullins set out in search for a perfect replacement for State Man, who was unfortunately ruled out earlier in the month.
The daughter of Great Pretender has yet tackled the boys in the Champion Hurdle, but she has landed the Mares' Hurdle in back-to-back seasons and was sent off a 1/5 chance on her first start since claiming the Aintree Hurdle in fine style last April.
Sent straight to the front by Townend, she fairly cantered round on the front end before easing clear to score by seventeen lengths from David Kelly's outsider Glen Kiln. Lossiemouth's stablemate Irancy was ultimately disappointing and finished last of the quartet under Mark Walsh.
"I thought just keep it simple and she was entitled to do what she done," said Townend on Racing TV. "It's good to get her back on track and see where we go from here,"
"She's simple and it looked the obvious thing to do today (make the running). She stays and she was the best in the race, but you could go back to riding her held up."
Mullins added: "She was very good. The race was run at an even pace on heavy ground, and she did what she needed to do.
"We weren't going to hold her up today, I didn't see any point. We let her out to gallop, see how she is and put her right for the next time."
Lossiemouth suffered her sole defeat when completing to the hands of Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle but a trip to England on Boxing Days looks fanciful this season, with the galloping grey more likely to head to Leopardstown.
"They didn't go anything like the pace they went at Kempton (Christmas Hurdle) last year, but we don't want to light her up too much. As a four-year-old she was way too free," said Mullins.
"Leopardstown at Christmas would look the obvious place to go."
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