Grand National Festival: Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead to miss trip to Aintree in favour of Punchestown
Gordon Elliott has decided against a trip to Aintree with Brighterdaysahead, opting instead to target Punchestown after disappointment at Cheltenham.
The mare ended an eventual fourth in the latest renewal of the Champion Hurdle on March 11 having failed to justify the confidence of connections who swerved the Mares’ Hurdle in favour of opposing Constitution Hill.
In the race, Jack Kennedy’s mount struggled to assert herself on the contest and never threatened the top three even after State Man fell when far clear at the final hurdle, putting the Grade One title up for grabs.
Brighterdaysahead had been entered to run alongside Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth, but those plans have been abandoned with Punchestown now the sole final test on the agenda for 2024-25.
Eddie O’Leary of owners Gigginstown House Stud said: “Gordon tells us she’s in very good form at home but he wants to give her a bit more time after the last day.
“We’ll skip Aintree and go to Punchestown now instead and all being well she’ll go for the mares’ Grade One over two and a half miles (Mares Champion Hurdle).
“We’re going to going to go chasing with her next year, so this will give her the time she needs and hopefully she’ll run well at Punchestown.
“That wasn’t her in Cheltenham, we hope we’ll see the real her again at Punchestown. It’s the wrong way round for her but at least it’s two and a half miles.”
The yard still have Wodhooh in the mix for the Aintree Hurdle on Thursday April 3 after his superb showing in the Martin Pipe on Gold Cup day at the Cheltenham Festival.
