De Bromhead unworried by Honeysuckle shock loss
Honeysuckle, the two-time Champion Hurdler, suffered her first defeat in 17 starts under rules when she could finish only third in the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse, the traditional starting point to her season and a race she has won three times.
Sent off the 4-11 favourite yesterday, jockey Rachael Blackmore had been asking her at a few of her hurdles rather than being taken there by the mare but, nevertheless, all looked to be going to plan when she hit the front going to the second last.
But between the last two she had no answers to Gordon Elliott’s 20-1 winner Teahupoo, a horse she had beaten by 25 lengths and 33 lengths
in their two previous meetings, and the Willie Mullins-trained stayer Klassical Dream, who beat her by a neck and 2½ lengths.
Bookmakers reacted by cutting Nicky Henderson’s Fighting Fifth winner Constitution Hill to 4-9 from 4-7 for the Champion Hurdle in March while Honeysuckle, the defending champion, was pushed out from 4-1 to 6-1.
Trainer Henry de Bromhead was not unduly worried. “It was disappointing she got beat for sure,” he said. “But she ran a cracker. She beat Teahupoo by wide margins on good ground but if you saw him in the Red Mills on soft ground last season, he handles it very well and the more it rained the more I thought he’d come into play and the race was over two and a half miles. Fair play to the winner.”
He added: “We normally go for the Irish Champion after this. She’s won the last three. We’ll see how she comes out of it tomorrow and if she’s OK I can’t see why we wouldn’t go for it again then we’ll decide whether we go Champion
Hurdle or Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham nearer the time. We’ll just focus on our lady.”
Honeysuckle’s owner, Kenny Alexander, said: “It doesn’t take anything away from what she’s done – it wasn’t to be. They all get beaten in the end and she’s been beaten.”
De Bromhead also added that a couple of things had come up in tests on A Plus Tard, the Gold Cup winner, after a disappointing effort in the Betfair Chase a fortnight ago. “He wasn’t himself,” he said. “We’ll try and get him back for the Savills Chase but it’s not the be all and end all and if he’s not ready we’ll wait for the Gold Cup.”