Brighterdaysahead earned a thumping 30-length victory over final season’s Champion Hurdle winner State Man in touchdown the Neville Lodges Hurdle on the ultimate day of the Leopardstown Christmas Pageant.
State Man had been a 4-9 favorite to avenge his slender defeat by the Gordon Elliott-trained mare at Punchestown final month and earn a 3rd successive win within the huge Leopardstown hurdle.
However the race become a no contest as 5-2 shot Brighterdaysahead adopted her pacemaker stablemate King of Kingsfield over the opening mile with the Willie Mullins-trained favorite already near a dozen lengths adrift in third spot.
Brighterdaysahead, ridden by Sam Ewing due to Jack Kennedy’s injury-enforced absence, moved into the lead simply earlier than the penultimate hurdle and, regardless of a barely untidy bounce on the final, went on to increase her benefit as State Man was pipped for the runner-up spot by 66-1 shot Winter Fog.
The victory gave Elliott his one centesimal Grade One triumph after earlier saddling his 2,000th Irish Nationwide Hunt winner.
“I used to be nervous watching it as I used to be questioning in the event that they had been going too quick,” mentioned Elliott afterwards.
On his one centesimal Grade One winner, he added: “It is good to get it for the lads (Michael and Eddie O’Leary of Gigginstown Home Stud) who’ve supported me by way of thick and skinny.”
