{"id":46065,"date":"2025-03-09T15:27:41","date_gmt":"2025-03-09T15:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cheltenhambettingsites.co.uk\/?p=46065"},"modified":"2025-03-09T15:27:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T15:27:41","slug":"mares-hurdle-cheltenham-preview-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cheltenhambettingsites.co.uk\/blog\/mares-hurdle-cheltenham-preview-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Mares Hurdle Cheltenham Preview – Late Switch for Lossiemouth Shakes up Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham is a bone of contention. Should females with a sufficient high rating to run in the Champion Hurdle instead have this easier option over further? It’s a loophole connections of Lossiemouth try to exploit again this year.<\/strong><\/p>\n There’s a lot of opinion out there on the mares only Grade 1 on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. Sticking to facts is better. Lossiemouth won this race 12 months ago in style, but things haven’t gone so well with her from Christmastime onwards this season.<\/p>\n Willie Mullins landed the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle with her on reappearance, beating last term’s Stayers’ Hurdle hero Teahupoo. Lossiemouth then found Kempton too sharp for her when Constitution Hill prevailed in the Christmas Hurdle.<\/p>\n A fall in the back straight in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out left no definite conclusion. Mullins and owner Rich Ricci have clearly decided Lossiemouth is better off against her own sex over slightly further and that can rebuild some confidence.<\/p>\n In this edition of the Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham, she sits some 9lb clear of the field. First prize is a shade under \u00a370,000, though, and it represents a dramatic lowering of sights for Lossiemouth. Maybe connections are just being realistic.<\/p>\n