The Morgiana Hurdle of 2025 sees just four horses run in the Grade 1 feature of the opening day of Punchestown’s Premiere Weekend on Saturday, 22 November. Small fields in this extended two-mile contest are common with five or fewer turning out in nine of the last 10 renewals. This was where Willie Mullins started State Man off, but he’s out for the season, so Lossiemouth steps down in trip.
Rich & Susanna Ricci’s latest superstar mare is already a three-time Cheltenham Festival winner after landing the 2023 Triumph Hurdle and last two editions of the Mares’ Hurdle. Lossiemouth is also unbeaten at Punchestown too with two Grade 1 victories at the track. She was due to begin last season in the Morgiana Hurdle, only for a stone bruise to delay her reappearance until Christmas.
Lossiemouth excels over two-and-a-half miles. For further evidence of that, see two Hatton’s Grace Hurdle successes, the Mares Champion Hurdle triumph from the 2024 Punchestown Festival and Aintree Hurdle win last season all on her glittering CV. Injury to State Man prompts the same dilemma connections grappled with in the 2024-25 campaign.
Wherever Lossiemouth ends up in the spring, she’s going to be one of the Cheltenham favourites at the Festival. A flawless 4-4 record around Prestbury Park, two wins apiece on the Old and New Courses ensures that. Mullins and the Riccis have won a Champion Hurdle with a mare before in the great Annie Power. Like Lossiemouth, she too was probably better over further.
The current situation facing Closutton maestro Mullins bears a striking resemblance to Annie Power taking this route in 2016. Faugheen sustained an injury after the Irish Champion Hurdle that kept him off the track for almost two years. Annie Power deputised at Cheltenham. Can Lossiemouth do the same?
Who Runs Against Lossiemouth in Morgiana Hurdle of 2025?
Set to go off a long odds-on price at Cheltenham bookies for her reappearance with no State Man or fellow female Brighterdaysahead, who landed this last season, the race appears at her mercy. Lossiemouth fell in February during the Irish Champion Hurdle on her last two-mile start, which might give punters pause.
What opposition there is against her just aren’t proven Grade 1 horses. The biggest threat to Lossiemouth, according to the market, lies within her own stable. Mullins also saddles course and distance winner Irancy, sporting the silks of another powerful owner in JP McManus. This seven-year-old struck at the highest level in a Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
Mark Walsh and Irancy hand the Champion Trainer @WillieMullinsNH another winner at the top level, this time in the Grade 1 @KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle – his gelding flying home after travelling sweetly just off the pace 👏 pic.twitter.com/bZBEyqnXYQ
— Punchestown (@punchestownrace) April 29, 2025
Like Lossiemouth, Irancy is French bred and 2-2 at this track, but 2lb behind her on official figures. Conceding a 7lb sex allowance to the mare leaves the Saddex gelding 9lb wrong with her too. Irancy hasn’t had anything like as much racing as Lossiemouth, though, but his sole trip to Cheltenham races saw him finish seventh in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in March.
Gordon Elliott, the only trainer to break Mullins’ stranglehold on the Morgiana Hurdle since 2010, runs Ndaawi. He’s finished second past the post on his last three starts in this sphere, but Ballybrit stewards awarded him the Galway Hurdle on the latest of those. Ndaawi’s subsequent Flat form has been disappointing, however, and a Grade 1 demands more than the big handicap hurdles he previously placed in.
Although the five-year-old son of Cracksman could still improve, this’ll be tough against Lossiemouth and Irancy, who are 5lb (12lb) and 3lb ahead of him. Ndaawi does have race fitness on his side, though. Completing the line-up is David Harry Kelly’s course conditions race winner Glen Kiln with a stone to find.
