2026 Mares Hurdle

[Eggs]

Current betting;

Lossiemouth 9/4
Wodhooh 5-1
Jade de Grugy 6-1
Kargese 12-1
Brighterdaysahead 16-1
Golden Ace 16-1
Lady Vega Allen 16-1 (see post #2)

20-1 bar.

Initial entries (13.01.26);
Baby Kate (Willie Mullins, Ireland)
Brighterdaysahead (Gordon Elliott, Ireland)
Dream On Baby (Emmet Mullins, Ireland)
Feet Of A Dancer (Paul Nolan, Ireland)
Golden Ace (Jeremy Scott)
Jade De Grugy (Willie Mullins, Ireland)
Jetara (Jessica Harrington, Ireland)
Jubilee Alpha (Paul Nicholls)
Kargese (Willie Mullins, Ireland)
Kateira (Dan Skelton)
La Pinsonniere (Nicky Henderson)
Lavida Adiva (Ruth Jefferson)
Let It Rain (Dan Skelton)
Listentoyourheart (Dan Skelton)
Lossiemouth (Willie Mullins, Ireland)
Murcia (Willie Mullins, Ireland)
Nurse Susan (Dan Skelton)
Park Princess (Anthony Honeyball)
Siog Geal (Fergal O'Brien)
Sotchi (James Grassick, France)
Sunset Marquesa (Joe Tizzard)
Supreme Malinas (Dan Skelton)
Take No Chances (Dan Skelton)
That'll Do Moss (Fergal O'Brien)
Wodhooh (Gordon Elliott, Ireland)

 

[Eggs]

….worth noting @Yosser posted this in Oct;

‘Don't really want to put this in the Out For The Season thread because of the trepidation of opening it when somebody posts in there and also am looking for confirmation but it sounds like Lady Vega Allen has suffered a career ending injury and is going to be used for breeding as per Willie Stable Tour.’

 

[Eggs]

….HDB re Air of Entitlement;

‘She has come back into us in great shape and is training well. We were delighted with how she progressed last season and I’d imagine she’ll stay over hurdles this season. We haven’t had a big think about a target for her yet as she is a little way off being ready to run yet. All options are open.’

 

[Eggs]

BABY KATE​

She won two bumpers, including a listed one at Cheltenham, a couple of seasons ago and made a winning hurdling debut at Naas last season. She’s likely to stay over hurdles and go towards the Mares’ Hurdle.

 

[Eggs]

Star quality
Wodhooh
5m Le Havre - Dhan
The Sundowners Partnership
111/112-
RPR 151h OR 154h

She's an absolute star. She was brilliant for us last season and got us out of a hole at Cheltenham when she won the Martin Pipe. She bumped into the best mare in training in Lossiemouth at Aintree, so there was no shame in losing her unbeaten record to her. I’d say we’ll start her off in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse and we’ll give her every chance to prove that she’s up to open Grade 1 level. I think we’re going to have a very good season with her and the Mares Hurdle is her ultimate aim. That's on the New course now, the track she won the Martin Pipe over.

 

[Benjy23]

Was wondering if they may look at the Stayers given seems very likely she'll bump into Lossiemouth in the Mares again. But he's not mentioned 3 miles there. And has a couple of others for the Stayers, so seems unlikely. Still likely have a few quid on her on exchanges, just in case.

 

[Deleted member 4957]

Was wondering if they may look at the Stayers given seems very likely she'll bump into Lossiemouth in the Mares again. But he's not mentioned 3 miles there. And has a couple of others for the Stayers, so seems unlikely. Still likely have a few quid on her on exchanges, just in case.

I really really really hope so, she is made for 3m....

 

[Eggs]

….little surprised to see Air of Entitlement out today, given the one HdB stable tour I read when he indicated she was a little way of being ready to run’. She didn’t start until Boxing Day last season;

‘She has come back into us in great shape and is training well. We were delighted with how she progressed last season and I’d imagine she’ll stay over hurdles this season. We haven’t had a big think about a target for her yet as she is a little way off being ready to run yet. All options are open.’

 

[Eggs]

….little surprised to see Air of Entitlement out today, given the one HdB stable tour I read when he indicated she was a little way of being ready to run’. She didn’t start until Boxing Day last season;

‘She has come back into us in great shape and is training well. We were delighted with how she progressed last season and I’d imagine she’ll stay over hurdles this season. We haven’t had a big think about a target for her yet as she is a little way off being ready to run yet. All options are open.’

….pushed out to 50-1 by 365 after that defeat which might be a bit of an overreaction.

She was giving a stone to the winner and she was 29 lengths ahead of the 3rd. PP go 33s but the rest are around 20-1.

 

[Deleted member 4957]

….pushed out to 50-1 by 365 after that defeat which might be a bit of an overreaction.

She was giving a stone to the winner and she was 29 lengths ahead of the 3rd. PP go 33s but the rest are around 20-1.

I think that's a price that could tempt a few but my problem with the Mares is that Lossie is a god given cert if she goes there and if they break all protocol and send her to the Champion Hurdle then Wodhooh would be a stone better than anything in the race.
Baring injury I can only see these two as winners come March...

 

[Guinness Village]

I think that's a price that could tempt a few but my problem with the Mares is that Lossie is a god given cert if she goes there and if they break all protocol and send her to the Champion Hurdle then Wodhooh would be a stone better than anything in the race.
Baring injury I can only see these two as winners come March...

Very true. Although I’m always a sucker for a good value loser

 

[Lobos]

I think that's a price that could tempt a few but my problem with the Mares is that Lossie is a god given cert if she goes there and if they break all protocol and send her to the Champion Hurdle then Wodhooh would be a stone better than anything in the race.
Baring injury I can only see these two as winners come March...

Absolutely this. No bet race . Just watch either Lossie or Woodhoh win.

 

[Quevega]

No such thing as a god given certainty though is there ?, never mind their not being a god in the first place.
Even if she turns up, and we were talking on the day of the race itself (not November) she'd be no cert.
We've been down that road many times. Shirley !
So IMO for a mares novice hurdle winner and given the trainers record at Cheltenham and being Robcour owned who have other options for the stayers then I'd definitely be on the side of 50-1 being a good value bet at this point. Knowing all we know.

 

[Quevega]

To follow up on this point.
There is no better example than 2024's mares novice hurdle champion.
Who, despite getting various lumps of weight off all her opponents last season and finishing 4thof5 and 3rd of 6 and only beating Burdett Road 3/4 lengths getting 8lb off him, just prior to Cheltenham.
She then Went off at 25-1 SP in the Champion hurdle that she had no fucking chance in.

If Air of Entitlement lines up in the Mares hurdle then I'd be very doubtful she would be available at 50-1 and much more likely to be nearer 10-1 even if Lossie & Wodhooh line up and she hasn't won a race all season.

 

[Yosser]

To follow up on this point.
There is no better example than 2024's mares novice hurdle champion.
Who, despite getting various lumps of weight off all her opponents last season and finishing 4thof5 and 3rd of 6 and only beating Burdett Road 3/4 lengths getting 8lb off him, just prior to Cheltenham.
She then Went off at 25-1 SP in the Champion hurdle that she had no fucking chance in.

If Air of Entitlement lines up in the Mares hurdle then I'd be very doubtful she would be available at 50-1 and much more likely to be nearer 10-1 even if Lossie & Wodhooh line up and she hasn't won a race all season.

Have to agree. Henry likes to peak his horses for Cheltenham just as much as Willie does. She is almost certain to go to the race and is now a great price and would almost certainly the stable no. 1 ride.

 

[opatcho]

Air of Entitlement is one of the horses on my shortlist for the festival

My motto this year is to keep on side of previous festival winners, especially those that look to have one target

… and she’s one of them.

Is she good enough right now to beat Lossiemouth or wodhooh, no. Could she challenge them, maybe but she’d need to improve.

But at 50/1, I can’t ignore that, especially playing the 3 places. She’s with a top trainer, who managed to get her to win at Cheltenham and I do think the Robcours pick up good horses.

I’m backing her for the mares hurdle at 50/1. We still have 4 months where anything can happen to the 3 at the top of the market - not wishing for them to be OFTS but we’ve see what can happen leading up to the festival, and we can see what can happen on the day (who would have thought Jango Bae and Golden Ace etc would win after their their defeats)

Even with Lossie and Wodhooh lining up on the day, I can see Air being less than 14/1 on the day and feel Bet365 have overreacted here, so I’ll take it and hopefully I get a run for my money

 

[Quevega]

Air of Entitlement is one of the horses on my shortlist for the festival

My motto this year is to keep on side of previous festival winners, especially those that look to have one target

… and she’s one of them.

Is she good enough right now to beat Lossiemouth or wodhooh, no. Could she challenge them, maybe but she’d need to improve.

But at 50/1, I can’t ignore that, especially playing the 3 places. She’s with a top trainer, who managed to get her to win at Cheltenham and I do think the Robcours pick up good horses.

I’m backing her for the mares hurdle at 50/1. We still have 4 months where anything can happen to the 3 at the top of the market - not wishing for them to be OFTS but we’ve see what can happen leading up to the festival, and we can see what can happen on the day (who would have thought Jango Bae and Golden Ace etc would win after their their defeats)

Even with Lossie and Wodhooh lining up on the day, I can see Air being less than 14/1 on the day and feel Bet365 have overreacted here, so I’ll take it and hopefully I get a run for my money

On the new course this year also, which should be a small advantage, although obviously 4f further.
I can understand the reluctance of some to not want to bother with her as the mares novice hurdle last year may have been low on quality and the 2 ahead of her in the market are ahead by some way at this stage (ratings wise).
But like you say, a lot of time to pass yet and I will almost always get involved in any horse with previous festival form that is so obviously over priced vs the chances of a run.
She's still unexposed really also, with only 4 hurdles races in her life. I'll give her a pass for Fairyhouse on the basis that she beat a lot of those same horses at Cheltenham pretty comfortably, so would give the Cheltenham form priority, for sure.
And todays effort is also very forgiveable given the comments eggs made earlier and the weights etc.

 

[Deleted member 4957]

50/1 always going to be a tempting price, just not for me...

 

[darlojim]

50/1 isn't a bad price, but at the same time it's worth questioning the actual form of that Mares Novice Hurdle

2nd Sixandahalf - beaten in a listed event @ Punches, ran deplorably on the flat and then beaten on NH reappearance by the 10yo Colonel Mustard

3rd Diva Luna - beaten 39L in the Top Novice @ Aintree

4th Karoline Banbou - beaten 30L in the Honeysuckle MNH @ Fairyhouse then 7th in the Listed @ Punches

6th Galileo Dame - Beaten out of sight in 3 flat runs since, no runs over hurdles since.

7th Karamoja - 3rd in the G1 Fairyhouse, then 4th in Punches Listed.


It's not like the Mares Hurdle this year looks like teeing up to be just an Avg year, IMO we will be seeing one of the best mares in recent times in the race. Wodhooh will definitely be targeted for the race aswell and that's not taking into account Kargese OR Jade de Grugy who would be right up there in the betting (more so JDG over that trip)

It depends how you play Antepost, as 50/1 will be a likely shortener, but at the same time a lot would have to go wrong for her to win the race.

 

[Lobos]

Agree completely with Darlo. You'd just be very likely wasting the win bet of the EW and betting for just 1 place IMO. Much better to wait until the day and back her in the without market if she actually runs ?