Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Leopardstown 15:00 €200,000 guaranteed 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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1 Honeysuckle 1/5F
2 Zanahiyr 6/1
3. Echoes In Rain 25/1
5 ran Distances: 6½l, ½l, 2¼l
Time: 4m 6.20s (slow by 21.20s)
Honeysuckle cruises to a third consecutive Grade 1 @Chanelle_Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle in the hands of @rachaelblackmor for trainer @HenrydeBromhead pic.twitter.com/oaMLVurxJk https://t.co/DxnozIHs8b via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) February 6, 2022
Honeysuckle joined an elite club as just the third horse to win a third renewal of the Grade One showpiece, joining four-times victor Istabraq and five-times hero Hurricane Fly.
It was was the eight-year-old’s 14th consecutive career win as she cantered over the opposition on the way to a six-and-a-half-length verdict over Zanahiyr.
Ridden with supreme confidence by Blackmore, Honeysuckle settled in third as outsider Heaven Help Us made the early pace.
She was clearly travelling by far the best throughout, with main rival Zanahiyr under pressure as Honeysuckle swooped to conquer turning for home.
Blackmore just had to keep her up to her work on the run to the last and while she was not foot-perfect at the final flight, Honeysuckle safely negotiated the hurdle and galloped home to an ecstatic welcome from the stands.
De Bromhead said: “Brilliant, it’s absolutely brilliant. They were great again, the pair of them. I’m delighted.
“She looked great, jumped well I thought throughout – maybe went a little bit left at one of them – but winged the second-last and took off again.
“It felt a long straight after the last, but she was brilliant and we’re delighted.
“It was great, aren’t we lucky to have her?
“Just the atmosphere here today has been amazing.”
He added: “Every second person you meet says my daughter or son is a massive fan of Rachael and Honeysuckle. It’s incredible, it’s a dream for us to be involved and we feel very lucky.
“It’s just great having everyone (crowd) back and isn’t it great she was able to do it on the day.
“We did a lot when there were no crowds around so it’s brilliant to see the crowd appreciating her and giving her and Rachael the reception they got.”
Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle
2m , €200,000 guaranteed
5 ran
Going: Yielding, Yielding to soft in places
1 Honeysuckle 8 11-5 Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore 1/5F
2 6½ Zanahiyr 5 11-12 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy 6/1
3 ½ Echoes In Rain 6 11-5 W P Mullins Paul Townend 25/1
4 2¼ Saint Roi 7 11-12 W P Mullins Mark Walsh 12/1
5 14 Heaven Help Us 8 11-5 Paul Hennessy Danny Mullins 50/1
