HENRY De Bromhead has revealed Honeysuckle could swerve a clash with Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and instead run in the Mares’ Hurdle in March.
The two-time Champion Hurdle winner lost her unbeaten record in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse last Sunday — finishing a brave third behind Teauphoo and Klassical Dream.
It was her first defeat in 17 races and the Waterford-based trainer has now suggested a return to the Mares’ Hurdle - a race she won in 2020 - could be back on the agenda.
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“She’s brilliant. She owes us nothing. We’re in bonus territory. It’s incredible what she’s done and we’ve had a lot of fun with her and I don’t think it’s finished yet” said De Bromhead.
“We can always look at the Mares’ Hurdle. It’s another option. It would be very much in my mind. My job is to find a race which we think she can win. It’s still a long way away.”
Racing enthusiasts will be disappointed with the news as her clash with Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill — a brilliant winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last March — was anticipated as one of the races of the Festival.
“If connections want to do something else I’ll wholeheartedly do that but we’ll see. Look it’s all a long way away. Everyone has to get there. Irish Champion Hurdle will be next and lets see how we go,” added De Bromhead.
“I thought she ran well. She’s back in one piece and is in mighty form. I just wonder did she get found out a bit stamina wise on the softer ground.”
De Bromhead was speaking to Racing TV after his Arctic Bresil — by the same sire as Constitution Hill — won the Bar One Racing Maiden Hurdle at Cork in impressive style.
De Bromhead said: "I'm delighted with that and he is a horse who had shown plenty of promise and Sean Doyle (point to point handler) recommended him. I'm delighted for his owner Peter Davies who is a great supporter of ours.
"We liked him at home but you always have to do it on the track. He is by Blue Bresil and is from the same cross as Constitution Hill - both are out of King's Theatre mares.
"Whether or not he is him or not I don't know and we have a long way to go for that but it is nice to win a maiden hurdle.”
He also had news on Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard, who suffered a defeat in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on his seasonal reappearance.
An allergic reaction was to blame for that tame effort — coming as a relief to De Bromhead who said he’s now “seems in mighty form.’
“It was too bad to be true. His work had been really good.
“Two days after he ran we took bloods and one of the readings was sky high — off the Richter scale — showed us that a bizarre kind of allergic reaction to something the vets think.
"We dug a bit deeper and it’s looking like that. There was something up. It looks highly likely.
“The Savill’s Chase at Leopardstown is still a possibility and he’s certainly been geared towards that."
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