Gordon Elliott has officially announced that his standout mare, Brighterdaysahead, will continue to compete in hurdles for the 2024/25 jumps season, with the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival as a key target.
During a recent stable tour, Elliott disclosed that although there was consideration for her to transition to chasing, the decision was made to keep her focused on hurdles, with plans for her return set for early November. Brighterdaysahead had an impressive season, winning four out of her five races, with her only defeat coming from Golden Ace in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the previous Cheltenham Festival.
Elliott stated, “We strongly considered sending her novice chasing, but the decision is made, and she’ll stay hurdling. She’ll start back in the Jezki Hurdle at Down Royal on November 1. She’s an obvious candidate for the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in the longer term. We’ve never hidden how highly we regard her, and we can’t wait to get her back on the track.”
In other news from Elliott’s stable, Teahupoo, the Stayers’ Hurdle champion, is set to follow a familiar path towards the Cheltenham Festival in March. Elliott noted, “We took a view on what sort of campaign would suit him best last season and it worked out well, so we’ll do the same again this season. He’ll start in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and then be kept fresh for the Stayers’ Hurdle. He’s still only a seven-year-old, and if we can keep him right, he could rule this division for a few years.”
Additionally, Gold Cup runner-up Gerri Colombe will also stick to a similar route as last season, beginning with Down Royal’s Champion Chase next month. Elliott commented, “All being well he’ll go the same route as he did last season. He showed himself to be a top-class chaser when finishing a very good second in the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival, and it makes sense to try and get him back there again.”
