Honeysuckle, with Rachael Blackmore on board, has won the Grade 1 Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle on the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.
Seven-year-old Honeysuckle saw off five rivals to easily retain her title and make it 10 wins from 10, winning by an extraordinary 10 lengths.
The Henry De Bromhead mare went off the 10/11 odds on favourite and came home ahead of the Gordon Elliot trained Abacadabras in second and Willie Mullins' Sharjah in third.
She's a different class! 😍
The dream team, @rachaelblackmor and super mare ⭐HONEYSUCKLE⭐ win the @Chanelle_Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle for the second year running 🏆🏆
Huge congratulations to the @HenrydeBromhead stable 👏#DublinRacingFestival pic.twitter.com/7M2rfae5Wk
— Leopardstown RC (@LeopardstownRC) February 6, 2021
Champion trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend meanwhile won the first three Grade One races of the day.
Chacun Pour Soi became a back-to-back winner in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase while Gaillard Du Mesnil enjoyed a five-length victory in the opening Nathaniel Lacy Solicitors Novice Hurdle.
Mullins and Townend teamed up again for another comfortable win with Energumene in the Patrick Ward & Co. Irish Arkle Novice Chase.
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