Lossiemouth continues to rewrite the record books, delivering a dominant performance to capture the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday. The Willie Mullins-trained mare extended her unbeaten streak at the County Kildare track, storming home by five lengths in the two-mile Grade One feature.
Sent off as the red-hot 2-7 favourite, Lossiemouth made light work of her rivals under jockey Paul Townend. The grey powerhouse crossed the line with plenty in hand, leaving Golden Ace (11-1) trailing in second place. It marked her fourth victory from four career starts at Punchestown—a perfect record that now includes an incredible 11 Grade One triumphs.
This latest success caps off a stellar season for the six-year-old, who had already stamped her authority on the sport by winning the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last month. For Townend, it's been a purple patch of epic proportions. The Irish champion jockey partnered Gaelic Warrior to Gold Cup glory in March and steered I Am Maximus to Grand National victory in April.
"A brilliant season," reflected Townend, speaking to RTE after the race. "I'm in the right camp to be on these very good horses—I'm very fortunate."
Earlier on the card, the Mullins-Townend combination struck again when 8-13 favourite King Rasko Grey edged out Lord Byren (7-1) by a head in a thrilling finish to the Champion Novice Hurdle. Kiely's Place (10-1) completed the podium in third.