2021 Mares Hurdle Guide

One of the Irish bankers ahead of the four day meeting is the Willie Mullins trained Concertista who is as short as 8/11 in places to win this race.

Mullins has won nine of the last 12 renewals of this race, with the likes of Quevega, Benie Des Dieux and Vroum Vroum Mag and he thinks that Concertista is just as good, if not bette than some of those horses.

The seven year old for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede is lightly raced in Britain and Ireland, making her hurdles debut for the yard back in March 2019, when beaten a head in the Grade Two Mares Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival.

Being very much a spring horse, this mare comes alive at the festival and last year having not set the world alight in Ireland, went back into the Grade Two Mares Novices Hurdle and took the event by an ever growing 12 lengths.

Having put up one of the performances of the meeting the yard, this year decided to aim her at this Grade One event and she has done nothing but improve all season.

She started her season off at Fairyhouse stepping up in trip for the first time and she saw off Minella Melody in impressive style to take the Grade Two event.

She last seen again in December at Leopardstown over 2m4f in the Grade Three Mares Hurdle and she emphatically brushed aside a smart field of mares.

Doing all this before the Spring where she has proved she comes alive is only a bonus and she looks very tough to beat.

Having been a shock winner of the Grade One Mares Hurdle in 2019 she has since placed in some nice events at Aintree and Cheltenham and has established her as one of the best mares in the sport.

She went back to defend her crown at Cheltenham in March 2020 and could only finish fourth behind some star mares, but that form has since been franked.

Roksana made a credible seasonal debut for the yard when winning the Grade Two bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby in October and backed that up last time out with another big run.

She headed into the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot over three miles and finished a smart third behind Paisley Park and Thyme Hill.

Roksana then headed back to the Berkshire track over the same course and distance taking on three runners in the Grade Two Mares Hurdle and went on to emphatically land the event by eight lengths.

Skelton is left with a predicament as to whether to send her to the Mares Hurdle she won in 2019 or the Stayers' Hurdle on the Thursday of the festival and it looks as though this is easier of the two, even though she is better over further.

The eight year old for owner JP McManus has been exceptional over the last 18 months, landing a Mares Handicap at Cheltenham back in December 2019 and off the back of that going to the festival and landing the Coral Cup with ease.

The mare was always bought to be a chaser and Henderson sent her to Ayr in January for her belated seasonal return and first try over fences and apart from one mistake on the first circuit she was superb.

She saw off Fighting Fifth winner Cornerstone Lad with ease over two miles, but the trainer admitted she wants another half a mile to be at her best.

The Dame stepped up into Group One company in the Scilly Isles Chase at Sandown and having been bought down with a fair bit to run, know one knows what could have been.

The Seven Barrows yard have put the chasing dream on hold for now and will be sending her back over hurdles for this event and if replicating the form of her win at the festival last term, she could be a big each way player.

Black Tears for Denise Foster is a big each way player in this race having proven form at the Cheltenham festival and not done a lot wrong throughout this season.

She is a mare that always runs her race and last season at the Cheltenham festival took Dame De Compagnie all the way to the line in the Coral Cup, when just a narrow second.

This season she has been seen three times making her seasonal debut at Punchestown when third behind smart mare Buildmeupbuttercup and Mares Chase favourite Elimay.

The mare then went to Leopardstown at Christmas and again finished third, this time behind the favourite for this race Concertista, who blew the field away.

Getting one last run in before the festival she went to Punchestown in the Grade Three Quevega Mares Hurdle at the start of March and won the race by five lengths.

It was a perfect prep run, not taking too much out of the horse and having festival from gives her a big each way chance.

The Paul Webber trained mare Indefatigable although being a Cheltenham festival winner looks out of place in this field off what she has done this term.

At the back end of last season she put a string of wins together winning a Listed Hurdle at Warwick and then backing that up in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the festival.

After having a tame run on the flat at Lingfield, she kickstarted her season over hurdles at Kempton over three miles where she could only finish third of eight runners in a Listed event.

She stepped back to 2m5f last time out at Kempton again in the Grade Two Relkeel Hurdle and although getting the mares weight allowance was outclassed finishing sixth of seven.

She is much better then both her runs this term, but might not be good enough against some of these mares.

Minella Melody for the Honeysuckle team of Henry De Bromhead and Kenneth Alexander is a horse that always promised so much, but never really fulfilled her full potential.

As a novice last term she won all three of her events prior to the Cheltenham festival, but unfortunately she was very below par in the Mares' Novices Hurdle, finishing near the back end of the 22 runners.

This season she has been consistent again on her way to the festival, finishing second on all three of her runs, however her last two were well behind Concertista and she looks unlikely for her to reverse that form on the day.

The six year old mare looks to be the second string of the Seven Barrows runners in this race, but is still thought of highly by her trainer, but stepping up to a Grade One could find her out again.

Having been smart last term winning a Listed event and then finishing a neck second to Lady Buttons in the Grade Two Yorkshire Mares Hurdle, she disappointed at the Cheltenham festival when no better than midfield in the Mares Novices' Hurdle.

She has had a similar career to stablemate Epatante with what races she has been entered in and how she has finished in them and the trend continued on seasonal debut when winning the Gerry Feilden Intermediate Hurdle at Newbury.

She was then upped up in class and sent to Kempton for the Grade One Christmas Hurdle and was ultimately outclassed into fourth.

She was sent back to Doncaster last time out for a second try in the Grade Two Yorkshire Mares Hurdle, but once again she had to settle for second.

She is a nice mare, but has not proved it at this level and that makes her opposable.

The final runner from the Mullins Brigade is My Sister Sarah, who is another type that offered so much as a youngster u== but has never hit the hits they thought she would.

She has been consistent for the most part of her career only being out of the front three on two of the last seven occasions.

She has been ran frequently this term, starting off in July at Galway and finishing fifth in a maiden, before quickly backing that up at the same track when second in a big fielded Handicap Hurdle, finishing behind Great White Shark, but ahead of Grade One winner Flooring Porter.

The mare then went on to land back to back seconds at Tramore and Galway again over two miles and 2m4f, before heading to Listowel and finishing third of seven in a weak event.

This highlight of her season to date was two starts ago when winning a Listed Mares Hurdle over at Limerick.

Last time out she was seen finishing fourth behind three in this field at Leopardstown over Christmas in the Grade Three Mares Hurdle and on that form has it all to do.

The penultimate runner of the event is the ex Willie Mullins trained Dolcita who is now with Fergal O'Brien having also had a stint with Paul Nicholls.

The mare is very lightly raced for her age and on her final run of last season was seen chasing home Concertista in the Mares Novices' Hurdle at the festival.

She has raced twice this term, finishing second of three at Hereford in an Intermediate Hurdle on her sole start for Nicholls and then last time out for O'Brien when a good third behind the smart Molly Olly Wishes and Grade One French hurdler Paul's Saga in a Listed Mares Hurdle.

She is a nice horse that although not proving it at the top level has time on her side and being unexposed could play to her strengths.

The final runner and big outsider of the field is the Harry Fry trained Whitehotchillifili that like most of these horses is a smart mare in her own right, but has not showed enough to suggest she can cut it at this level.

The seven year old made her seasonal debut at Wetherby when fifth of seven in a Listed event when probably needing the run, but backed that up next time out when second in a Handicap Hurdle.

She managed to get off the mark for the season two starts ago at Sandown beating a smart field in a Listed Hurdle in heavy ground.

She was sent to Warwick last time out and was pulled along way from home in the same race Dolcita finished third in and that simply is not good enough form.

The quicker ground will also be against her.