Lossiemouth 2026 - Champion Hurdle or Mares - final decs decision

Also if we know what she will be trained for the whole way so we can back her for the other race

This was the trainers ‘Final Word’ article in the week before the race -

Lossiemouth

She's been very good, and it was unfortunate what happened that day [when she fell in the Irish Champion Hurdle] as it was shaping up to be a good race and then it was a bit of a damp squib as State Man probably just loitered a bit on his own out in front.
She started off slow at Christmas [when runner-up to Constitution Hill] but I think that's because in the past 18 months her races have been two-and-a-half-mile events and in the Hatton's Grace it was a crawl and she probably thought she was going to do the same again - she didn't know she was in a fast two-mile race and it took her a bit of time to get into gear. What I liked was that she didn't fade out of it and was doing her best work at the end.
She'll be a lot sharper for Cheltenham and the plan for the last two years has been for the Champion Hurdle and I'd imagine that's where she'll go. We still have her in the Mares' Hurdle but at this point in time it's about the Champion Hurdle for her. She likes Cheltenham and that's a huge advantage. It might be a blessing in disguise that [since Kempton] we now know we need to sharpen her up before those two-mile events. The speed is there and we just need to get it out of her.

"Paul chose to ride State Man at Leopardstown and I’d like to see who he is going to ride in the Champion.
“I know it will be difficult for him to get off State Man, he won the Champion last year, but who he chooses to ride is a factor.”


“UItimately, it will be Willie’s decision and we’ll have some input and make it over the weekend.“



So this seems to mean the trainer wanted the jockey to decide and the owner would fall in line.

Not for me mate

I would say that the 7's for the CH for her is by far the most attractive of those prices, the fear for her this year from connections would have been centred around the expected quick pace of the race and her ability to contend with it, as it transpired it didn't happen, next year those participants probably won't be present and therefore the brutal pace won't be expected.

CH will be another year older and we didn't even get to see how he would have finished off this year although you'd have had to fancy him on the way the race was run, but still he'd still have to negotiate another whole year with all the trials and tribulations that is likely to entail, KDB is coming through and is likely to be a big player....but I think the 7's, on the basis that the fear of a real scary pace won't be such a concern is fair enough enabling her to travel along in behind more easier....but, yes, as geoff says the merry go round starts again.