Honeysuckle: Is the super mare nailed on for a Champion Hurdle repeat?

Back in April 2018, a low-key point-to-point race took place on the racecourse outside the tiny village of Dromahane in County Cork, Ireland. Only three of the 12 runners finished the race (often the case in these amateur pointers), but the 7/1 shot that won did so in some style, winning by 15 lengths and ensuring that those punters who liked the look of the mare went home happy. 

Almost four years and 13 races later, there has yet to be a blotch on Honeysuckle’s CV. 13 consecutive wins, including several Grade 1s, have made the mare into something akin to a superstar. The fact Honeysuckle partners with jockey Rachael Blackmore, who has become something of a superstar herself, adds to the fascination with the mare. The pair have made history together, and the story is far from done. 

So, as it stands, Blackmore will saddle Honeysuckle for the 2022 Champion Hurdle, the race they won with some style last year. There’s no doubt that Honeysuckle will lead the tips for Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival, as she is a short-price in the ante-post markets. But is the mare nailed on for repeat success? It’s hard to make an argument against it. 

Honeysuckle clearly the one to beat

Such has Honeysuckle’s reputation grown over the last couple of years that you get the sense trainers and owners of potential Champion Hurdlers are avoiding the race due to her participation. This happens from time to time at the Cheltenham Festival, as trainers have the luxury of aiming their prospects elsewhere. There is talent among the current entries, but the majority of the ante-post racecard have tried – and failed – to overhaul Honeysuckle in the past. 

There is hope, however, for Willie Mullins’ talented Appreciate It. He won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2021 (often a good indicator for future Champion Hurdle winners), but he has yet to make his seasonal debut after some complications in training. He is expected to run in the Irish Champion Hurdle in a few days’ time, a race that was won by Honeysuckle last year and in 2020. If Appreciate It can get anywhere near Honeysuckle at Leopardstown, there will be some hope that he can do so again next month at Cheltenham. 

Epatante has shown signs of regaining old form

But there might also be some backing for another mare, Epatante, a horse who has clearly regained her mojo in recent months. Epatante won the 2020 Champion Hurdle and was expected to go off as favourite for the 2021 event before money came flooding in for Honeysuckle in the weeks leading up to the race. She was well beaten into her last year, though, and then beaten again by Honeysuckle a month later at Punchestown. Still, Epatante has taken two Grade 1 victories since then, and she certainly should not be written off. Odds of around 10/1 will certainly tickle some punters, too. 

We can probably see some bettors being put off by Honeysuckle’s short odds (she’s currently around 4/6), but the problem is that you simply cannot find fault in any of her performances. Like all great champions, she is able to find extra reserves whenever it is demanded, or saunter through on cruise control whenever the demands are not so taxing. Blackmore, who has ridden Honeysuckle in every race but that debut point-to-point, knows how to flip that switch whenever she needs to. You can never say never in horse racing, and it may well be that Appreciate It, Epatante, or someone else finds that something special on 15^th March. But as it stands, beating not crowning Honeysuckle as a double Champion Hurdle winner would be one of the biggest shocks in racing. 

Category: International