Ruby Walsh urges Mullins to end 2m experiment with Lossiemouth

February 4, 2026

Ruby Walsh has urged Willie Mullins to end the two-mile experiment with Lossiemouth after defeat at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Walsh, who served as stable jockey to Mullins for the majority of his riding career, believes Lossiemouth’s disappointment was down to the trip rather than suggestions from her trainer that she didn’t go on the heavy ground.

Sent off a strong 4/6 favourite in the Irish Champion Hurdle, the seven-year-old failed to uphold the December Hurdle form that saw her repel Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead by a length at Christmas.

The grey mare never looked overly comfortable at any point, carrying her head to one side and hanging left under pressure up the run-in as Brighterdaysahead stormed clear to a comfortable victory.

An age-old debate in National Hunt racing, Lossiemouth’s best trip has been the subject of intense discussion for quite some time and Walsh is firm on his stance her optimum is the intermediate 2m4f.

“My opinion hasn’t changed and is never going to change, Lossiemouth is better going a little bit further. She wants to go a mile an hour slower and be able to travel and find it easy.

“She’s a Triumph Hurdle winner, those are stayers. To me, she was going too fast for herself.”

🗣️”Triumph winners are stayers.”@Ruby_Walsh thinks it was the trip that beat Lossiemouth on Sunday.#RoadToCheltenham | @paddypower pic.twitter.com/eecn47oLiv

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 2, 2026

Where will Lossiemouth run at Cheltenham?

Her owner Rich Ricci sounded open-minded about Lossiemouth’s Cheltenham target when speaking at Leopardstown on Monday.

“I don’t mind running in either race, to be honest. She loves Cheltenham and I would say her best trip is probably two and a half, but it’s a wide-open Champion Hurdle so we’ve got some decisions to make.”

In the wake of Sunday’s letdown, Lossiemouth is a best-price 6/1 for the Champion Hurdle and 5/4 for the Mares’ Hurdle.

Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer to his father, had previously mentioned the team at Closutton were waiting for the daughter of Great Pretender to prove she was a Champion Hurdle mare before committing to the two-mile feature on the opening day of the Festival.

In their minds she has now had two opportunities to do so in the Irish renewal, failing on each occasion including hitting the deck against State Man 12 months ago.

Her Cheltenham record is impeccable, a winner on every trip to Prestbury Park with successes in the Triumph Hurdle (2023) and Mares’ Hurdle (2024, 2025) alongside victory in International Hurdle on Trials Day in 2024.

Four of her nine Grade 1 wins have come at the minimum trip, two as a juvenile and the others her first pair of starts this season as she assumed the role of Mullins’ number one two-miler following an unfortunate injury to State Man.

She bounced back in tremendous style to win the Mares’ Hurdle last season and while that race is her best chance of winning at Cheltenham, unless Kopek Des Bordes is supplemented for the Champion Hurdle she’ll very likely have have Paul Townend on her back and that variable could swing it for Ricci.