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Lossiemouth

ALTHOUGH unproven over today’s longer trip, Lossiemouth looks a cut above her 10 rivals in the Close Brothers Mares Hurdle.

Winner of the Triumph here last year and beaten only once in her career, the Willie Mullins-trained grey made a belated seasonal debut in the Relkeel here in late January and produced a performance which put her in the Champion Hurdle picture.

She powered clear of 151-rated Love Envoi (reopposes today) on that occasion and looks a much-improved mare and on course to give her trainer a 10th win in this event.

She appeared more mature and relaxed through the Relkeel, which give her every chance of coping with the extra yardage today and is a confident choice to outpoint stable-companion Ashroe Diamond, a Grade 1 winner who landed a Grade 2 in Doncaster on her seasonal bow in late January.

The Supreme Novices and Arkle, which open the Festival look wide open.

Mullins runs six in the Supreme, in which Tourist Attraction (in 1995) gave him his first Festival win as a trainer, with Paul Townend’s mount Tullyhill, unbeaten Mystical Power and unexposed Mistergif the pick.

But I’ll side with Gordon Elliott’s Firefox, conqueror of Ballyburn in a Fairyhouse maiden before flopping in a Grade 1 in Naas. He’s better than that and should run a big race.

And despite reservations about his dismal effort against Fact To File, I believe Gaelic Warrior is the best horse in the Arkle field and, in a first-time hood, if things go his way, he should be tough to beat.