IT was ladies first and second in the Champion Hurdle as Honeysuckle (153+) repelled the gallant challenge of former winner Epatante (150+) to extend her winning sequence to 15 before returning to a euphoric Cheltenham crowd.

Victory on Tuesday was yet another triumph of versatility for Henry de Bromhead’s mare who just simply runs faster than her opposition, however the race develops.

Slow contest

On this occasion, in a slowly run contest, the daughter of Sulamani unleashed her trademark turn-of-foot between Appreciate It and Zanahiyr (149+) approaching the second last hurdle to put a decisive seal on the race.

The data points to a slowly run affair as, when adjusted for distance, I would have Marie’s Rock running to a similar time-figure in winning the mares’ Grade 1.

However, both were firmly eclipsed by Constitution Hill (174) who blew away his rivals in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle to get the Festival off to a fast and furious start.

The debate is whether Constitution Hill broke Annie Power’s track record in winning by a massive 22 lengths; on my timings he was just short, but I would balance my findings by awarding the five-year-old the highest rating I have given to a novice since Faugheen.

Record time

In stopping the clock at 3m 45.3secs Nicky Henderson’s youngster was just 0.2secs adrift of Annie Power who recorded the record time when winning the Champion Hurdle.

The circumstances which led to the huge time figure owed in a large part to the early exploits of Dysart Dynamo and Jonbon (152) although Constitution Hill sat close to the early frenetic pace, travelling with ease. Rider Nico de Boinville was quoted after the race saying his mount treated the early exchanges like a piece of work.

The first indication of the speed in the Supreme was the time at which Dysart Dynamo reached the second hurdle compared to the Champion Hurdle with Willie Mullins’s gelding reaching the landmark 4.2secs before Appreciate It, who took off first in the Champion Hurdle.

The time difference between the two races narrowed when analysing the final circuit although Constitution Hill was still quicker by 1.4secs which I would calculate as a blend of his star quality while also supporting the theory of the Champion Hurdle being slowly run.

Rachael Blackmore delivered Honeysuckle to finish her race stronger than the Supreme winner as she covered the ground from the fourth last hurdle in 1m 31.1secs; in comparison Constitution Hill stopped the clock at 1m 31.7secs.

Michael Buckley was in bullish mood when interviewed by Nick Luck on his Sunday morning show last weekend and mentioned the possibility of his star novice taking on Honeysuckle at Punchestown if he won the Supreme.

The Friday of Punchestown will be ‘box office’ if the head-to-head is realised and, although the Cheltenham data reads favourably for the young challenger, the unbeaten mare clocked her best time-figure at Punchestown last year.

Constitution Hill will present the sternest challenge Honeysuckle has faced and will test her always finding a way to win when fully tuned as she looks to make it sweet 16!

Brutal pace

Jonbon paid for his efforts late in the race and can rate higher when not facing such a brutal early pace – he is certainly more than two lengths better than Kilcruit (150) who closed him down on the climb to the line.

The eyecatchers in the Champion Hurdle were Saint Roi (140+) and Glory And Fortune (139+) who stayed on from the rear without being dangerous. A step-up in trip may beckon for both if pursuing a victory in a Grade 1 with Glory And Fortune appealing as a possible for the Aintree Hurdle where he will be better suited by the flat track.