Lossiemouth lays down her Champion Hurdle marker, as Gaelic Warrior gets the better of Fact To File in a John Durkan thriller
Paul Townend and Trainer Willie Mullins after winning The Unibet Morgiana Hurdle with Lossiemouth at Punchestown on Saturday Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
In a weekend where snow fell and temperatures dropped, horse racing warmed up a nation and delivered on a weekend that promised so much.
And of course, the master of Closutton was front and centre of it all.
In what was a last-minute switch, which saw Lossiemouth rerouted to the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle from her intended target of the Hattons Grace at Fairyhouse this week, it was clear that the change of placement was a serious mark of intent for the season ahead.
She lined up against three inferior rivals, but she dispatched them as you would have expected her to do. But the aura and class she showed while doing so sparked the "this is her year" talk after she cruised to a 19-length victory.
Mullins gave his take on Lossiemouth's win: "She was very good."
"The race was run at an even pace on soft, heavy ground and she did what she needed to do. It was in mine and Paul's heads going out that we wanted to bounce out and go a bit sharper but I don't think they went anything like the pace they went at Kempton last season. We don't want to light her up too much because as a four-year-old she was way too free."
Mullins added: "That would look the obvious place to go. It's fairly clear there that she's the best of what we have. Well, we'll see whether Anzadam can match that or do better at Newcastle. I hear Golden Ace is going to go so between her, Constitution Hill and The New Lion, it's going to be a hell of a race."
Now, after State Man being ruled out for the season, Lossiemouth looks set to be Closutton's number one for the Champion Hurdle.
However, we didn't learn anything we didn't already know from her win; but what we do know is that she now sits as the clear favourite for the 2026 Champion Hurdle.
When asked how to describe the 2025 John Durkan Chase, the only word that comes to mind is WOW.
A line-up fitting for any Grade 1, but no one could have predicted how the John Durkan was going to pan out.
As the ten-strong field that included a host of Grade 1 winners and a Grand National winner, it was clear that Paul Townend and his mount, Gaelic Warrior, had one thing in mind, and that was to take the race by the scruff of the neck. But not even Townend could not have thought that Gaelic Warrior would take him over the first mile of the race at such a pace.
It was hand brake down, and catch me if you can as Townend and Gaelic Warrior set off at a searching pace that had the majority of the field out of their comfort zone, especially the runners whose best trip is over a lot further. But one who was able to keep some tabs on him was Gaelic Warriors stablemate, and the Ryanair Chase winner, Fact To File.
But as Gaelic Warrior pulled the best part of 30 lengths clear going into the back straight, it was a case of could he keep up his relentless pace? But a mistake at the tenth fence slightly halted his momentum, giving hope to Fact To File supporters.
Coming to the fourth last, Townend gave his mount a breather, and that was the cue for Fact To File and Mark Walsh to close the gap, and close it they did.
The stablemates tuned in to the home straight with the final two fences between them and victory; it was a race on.
To the eye, it looked as if it was only a matter of Mark Walsh pushing the button on Fact To File to go and win his race. However, the quirky but massively talented Gaelic Warrior was not lying down without a fight.
Both went head-to-head to the last, where not an inch was given on either side. Fact To File landed at the back of the last with the narrowest of leads, but still, somehow, Gaelic Warrior had something left in reserve.
Townend asked for one last effort, and his willing partner ground his way back into a narrow lead in the shadows of the post, taking what will go down as one of the best finishes to a John Durkan Chase that we have ever seen.
Mullins asked what might be next for Gaelic Warrior: "I'm not going to say anything here now about future plans, but we'll look to have something in the King George and something in Leopardstown.
"We'll see how they recover, how they come out of the race. It's only five weeks away."
An elated Paul Townend gave his take from the saddle: "Yeah, it was exciting for me anyway, I didn't see too much of it either. Look, he was fresh and wanted to get on with it. I left him run to the first, and he ran a lot further than that."
"In fairness to him, he jumped very well and clean. He gave himself a chance to repel Mark (Walsh) when he came to him. It was a proper horse race."
All eyes turn to Fairyhouse this weekend for their Winter Festival that includes the Grade 2 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, Grade 1 Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase, and the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Hatton's Grace Hurdle, where Ballyburn looks to get his career back on track.
