Elliott confirms Brighterdaysahead's Irish Champion Hurdle bid

January 7, 2026

Gordon Elliott has confirmed Brighterdaysahead will contest the Irish Champion Hurdle.

The star mare is set for a rematch with Lossiemouth at the Dublin Racing Festival following a highly promising comeback run over Christmas.

Brighterdaysahead, returning from a layoff after two puzzlingly poor runs in the spring at Cheltenham and Punchestown, saw her late challenge repelled by just a length in the December Hurdle at Leopardstown.

That effort can be marked up considering she met a small setback earlier this season which scuppered original plans to go over fences and the seven-year-old is open to huge improvement on her next start.

Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Elliott discussed plans moving forward:

“She’s definitely going to the Dublin Racing Festival, providing everything’s okay with her between now and then.”

WATCH: Brighterdaysahead’s runner-up to Lossiemouth

Lossiemouth wins a NINTH grade 1 🤯

Brighterdaysahead just CANNOT catch in the December Hurdle 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Es7yAyLzsc

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 29, 2025

Elliott ready to attack Dublin Racing Festival with new approach

Brighterdaysahead will head a strong Elliott charge heading to Leopardstown that could also include exciting novice chaser Romeo Coolio.

The two-time Grade 1 winner is in contention for either the Irish Arkle or Ladbrokes Novice Chase, despite connections recently declaring he was very unlikely to run at the DRF.

After skipping the festival almost entirely last season where he walked away empty-handed, Elliott is confident of success at the Dublin venue this time around.

“Last year, going from Leopardstown at Christmas straight to Cheltenham, it just didn’t bounce right for us. The horses ran well but we’d too many seconds and thirds, it just didn’t happen.

“This year, we’re going go to the DRF then Cheltenham. We will be much stronger there than last year.”

Elliott will hold a strong hand in the top-level novice hurdles presumably headlined by impressive Leopardstown maiden hurdle winner Ballyfad in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.

For the Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle, Lazare de Star is a likely challenger who also won well over Christmas after finishing second to Willie Mullins’ Ballymore Novice Hurdle favourite Saint Baco at Navan.

In the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle, Robcour’s unbeaten filly Mange Tout could renew her rivalry with Triumph Hurdle market leader Narciso Has.

Barbizon is another possibility for that race after a disappointing run behind Narciso Has at Leopardstown which was surely too bad to be true.