Defeat often tells you more about the connections of racehorses than victory ever can and Kenny Alexander soaked up the blow of Honeysuckle’s first reverse in 17 starts with impressive stoicism on Sunday. “It seemed to be business as usual, but they all get beat in the end, unfortunately,” Alexander said. “It doesn’t take anything away from what she has achieved, and she has taken me to races and competing in races that I could never have dreamed of doing. It’s disappointing, but it’s not the end of the world.”
There was, Alexander said, “a hush” over Fairyhouse after the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, a race that Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore were attempting to win for the fourth year running, as the crowd absorbed the fact that her winning streak had been snapped. Even as she briefly hit the front after the second-last, however, it was obvious that two of her opponents – Teahupoo and Klassical Dream – were going just as well, and probably better, in behind, and Honeysuckle offered no resistance as they took over at the last.
