Boasting the names of Moscow Flyer, Hardy Eustace, Hurricane Fly, and Faugheen on the 21st-century roll of honour, the Morgiana Hurdle has a well-earned reputation as one of the premier 2m Hurdle events of the Irish racing year.
Offering €150,000 in total prize money, the Grade 1 affair is a fine prize to win in its own right but also provides an early guide to the season ahead.
Whilst this is a race not to miss in any year, 2024 looks set to provide a vintage renewal. Ballyburn may have swerved this option in favour of the Beginners Chase earlier on the excellent Saturday card at Punchestown, but three star names remain towards the head of the market.
Defending Champion to State his Champion Hurdle Case?
The Willies Mullins trained State Man tops the market at 4/5 with bet365. That’s a short price in a race of this nature, but finding a chink in the armour of this Doctor Dino gelding is no easy task.
Since joining the Mullins yard in 2021, State Man has raced 14 times over hurdles and tasted defeat only twice. The first of those losses came via a fall following a near-two-year break, and the second at the hands of a peak-form Constitution Hill. Heading to Punchestown as a ten-time Grade 1 winner, including the past two editions of this and the 2024 Champion Hurdle, he has no Constitution Hill to worry about here, is 13lb clear of the field on official ratings, and the one they all have to beat.
Mouth to do her Talking on the Track Once Again?
State Man will have the company of four stablemates as he heads to post. Of that quartet, Daddy Long Legs and Winter Fog are yet to show they are up to this class. Sir Gerhard, in contrast, has three Grade 1 wins to his name, but none since 2022, and finished 24l behind State Man at Punchestown in May. It would be a surprise to see any of that trio trouble the favourite, but the mare Lossiemouth may present a far more formidable challenge.
Going in the famous Rich Ricci silks, this five-year-old has a near-perfect record since joining Mullins in 2022. Ten starts have produced nine wins, with the only blemish being an unlucky-in-running second to Gala Marceau in the 2022 Spring Juvenile Hurdle. Much too good for her rivals in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last season, she is currently trading as favourite for the 2025 Champion Hurdle.
A mark 13 lbs lower than that of State Man gives her work to do, but she gets 7 lbs of that back via her mares' allowance. Given her age, she seems likely to have further improvement to come and won’t need to find much more to at least give State Man something to think about. At 9/4 with bet365, she’s the current second choice of punters.
Best yet to come from Marvelous Mare?
Lossiemouth is but one of two talented mares in the line-up. So far, the official handicapper raters her 3lb higher than the Gordon Elliott-trained Brighterdaysahead, but will that remain the case after this contest?
Like Lossiemouth, this daughter of Kapgarde has tasted defeat only once in her career to date. That second-placed effort in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices Hurdle burst her bubble in the eyes of some viewers. However, she proved that opinion all wrong when slamming the boys in the Grade 1 Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle.
On the balance of her form, this trip may be a bare minimum, but unlike the two ahead of her in the market, she has the benefit of a recent run under her belt, having returned with a power-packed victory in the Bottlegreen Hurdle.
A Race to Savour
If pushed to recommend a bet in this event, we would suggest that at 9/2 with bet365, there shouldn’t be too much potential downside to an each-way punt on Brighterdaysahead. However, not all contests need a punt to up the excitement levels. We will keep our powder dry as we take in the best 2m hurdle event of the season so far.
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
Paul Harrison
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