What next for Honeysuckle?

See how she gets on at the DRF.

Wins and she is in the Champion.

Defeat = Retirement

champion hurdle or nothing

I have to agree with Brandy. If she can't win the Irish Champion Hurdle, how is she is ever going to win the English one?

irish champion hurdle is a much higher class than the english one

lol

Jan 21, 2023 -- 6:38AM, irishone wrote:

irish champion hurdle is a much higher class than the english one

True enough

Jan 21, 2023 -- 6:38AM, irishone wrote:

irish champion hurdle is a much higher class than the english one

This year?

She can't win the champion hurdle but she's still a high quality mare so mares hurdle is the obvious target. She'll win it and retire there and then and all will end well hopefully!

I hope she runs in the Champion Hurdle.

Winning isn't even the be all and end all now so to that end allowing her to participate in the Champion Hurdle itself would be a most fitting end for her.

It wasn't even a bad run from her yesterday, State Man had it all his own way and set a steady pace and just got away from the pole position from the 2nd last, I don't even think that he was particularly strong at the line, she stays further and would have appreciated a stronger gallop.

If she runs in the CH, I hope that Henderson for sure will be alerted to a falsely run race and would want to ensure a strong gallop one way or another for CH, this in turn will suit Honeysuckle, I can easily see her placed.

She deserves a place in the Champion Hurdle lineup and the chance to defend her crown. I'd rather see her run in the County Hurdle than the Mares Hurdle - at least it would be over her best trip

Trip does not matter one bit to her - she is equally good over 2m 4. She is entitled to run in the CH of course but would be 25/1-33/1 to win it. Why wouldn't they run in the Mares for which she would look a penalty kick? Its a big deal in itself, the blue riband race of the season for mares and she is the best of them. Finishing 3rd or 4th in a CH while leaving a championship race behind makes no sense.

I would be against in the Mares over 2m 4F myself.

She is confirmed as going for the Mares Hurdle. Better retiring her than downgrading, especially when she could be beat, just as handily in this race.

Well she's already been beaten twice this season and will have just one more run so giving her the opportunity to bow out with a realistic chance of a Cheltenham grade 1 win is the right option

I just think retired her as reigning Campion Hurdler is better than putting her in with lesser horses. Especially as you say, she has been beaten twice already and is not guaranteed to win the Mares. She has nothing to prove, so why end her career with a possible loss?

She isn't better than Marie's Rock, and possibly never has been. I expect her to be brushed aside with some ease. She couldn't win another Champion Hurdle, and being beaten in this race will just diminish her a bit more. The long sequence looked great, but she was fortunate to hit on a very poor division.

"She isn't better than Marie's Rock and possibly never has been"


. Pmsl

Honeysuckle earnings

Hurdle IRE €1,009,562.5
Hurdle GB.  £525,440

Maries Rock earnings

Hurdle IRE.  €75,000
Hurdle GB.  £171,910
NHF GB.       £2,664


Who breeds these idiots ?

She has nothing to prove, so why end her career with a possible loss?
If she retires now it would be on the back of 2 consecutive losses - she has a great chance now of going out on a high.

She is still the reigning Champion Hurdler though. Not defending her title to drop down in class to run in a different race, is not my idea of going out on a high.

"She isn't better than Marie's Rock, and possibly never has been." Is that meant to be a joke?

Everyone's got their views but Maries Rock better than Honeysuckle,
can't see that myself.

I always find opinions are far better without the aid of drugs and or alcohol tho.

Currently there can’t be much between them. However I don’t think they will run against each other in March.

Henrys aint been running right for the past couple of weeks , so I think we saw a below par Honeysuckle anyway last weekend.

The decision to go for the Mares after the owner publically stated it was the Champion Hurdle or nothing probably means something else has entered the equation. We can only guess.

The decision to go for the Mares after the owner publically stated it was the Champion Hurdle or nothing probably means something else has entered the equation. We can only guess.
My guess is the 'something else' is Constitution Hill and State Man as well as a sharp dose of pragmatism