Dublin racing festival belatedly starts on Sunday
Brighterdaysahead cut in betting for Cheltenham festival
There was a full-throated roar from the stands as the 2026 Dublin racing festival finally got under way on Sunday and another as Lossiemouth, the favourite, went to post for the Irish Champion Hurdle later in the afternoon, but the cheers 10 minutes later were for her market rival, Brighterdaysahead, as Gordon Elliott’s mare convincingly reversed the form of the December Hurdle here last month to win the big race of the day.
Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead were foaled within three weeks of each other in March 2019 but last month’s Grade One was the first time that the two mares had met on the track.
Lossiemouth emerged as the winner by a length, recording a ninth Grade One win in the process, but she did not look comfortable at any stage here on Sunday as El Fabiolo, a stable companion at the Willie Mullins yard, set a steady pace with Brighterdaysahead in close attendance.
