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Brighterdaysahead got the better of favourite Lossiemouth on the way to a storming victory in the Timeless Sash Windows Irish Champion Hurdle on the delayed opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, writes Phil Campbell.

The last meeting between the two saw the pair cross the finish line in reverse order in the December Hurdle at the same track, but the Gordon Elliott-trained mare was more than up to the task on this occasion and duly picked up her fourth Grade 1 triumph with Jack Kennedy.

After El Fabiolo had set the early pace, the two protagonists came out fighting with the pair battling their way around the home bend.

Brighterdaysahead led the way going into the last and a clean jump allowed Kennedy to reel in the win with Lossiemouth, ridden by Paul Townend, having to accept second place.

"She's a great mare," said winning trainer Elliott. "We knew she'd improve after the last day. It was great and I'm absolutely thrilled. Michael and Anita [O'Leary, owners of Gigginstown House Stud] are here, so that's extra special. They're big supporters of Cullentra and we need to produce these winners for them.

"We went to the second-last and Lossiemouth was back on us, and I thought we were in trouble, but Jack had a plan in his head, and he knew she'd come on for it."

Elliott also confirmed Brighterdaysahead will contest the Champion Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival.

Despite tasting defeat in the feature, Willie Mullins enjoyed success in two out of the four Grade 1s at the Dublin track, as Majborough took the spoils in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase.

That triumph made it a double for the  combination of Mullins, jockey Mark Walsh, and owner JP McManus after Kaid D'Authie won out over Western Fold and favourite Final Demand in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase.

Majborough put to bed any concerns of his jumping ability with a classy display, coming home 19 lengths ahead of favourite Marine Nationale, while last year’s winner Solness could only manage fifth.

"That's the real Majborough," said winning jockey Walsh. "In Cork, he can't go right-handed, he was too lairy in front and he wasn't jumping. Here the last day, I tried to hold him up in behind horses to get a lead but when I came in I said we were doing the wrong thing. 

"He has such a big stride that it's his biggest asset, so Willie rang me the other morning and said we'd stick a set of cheekpieces on him and let him roll in front. It was the best thing that ever happened to him because it made a man of him today. 

"When he is in front without the cheekpieces, he just doesn't concentrate, but he was looking at what he was doing today and sorting himself out. At the second fence he came up out of my hands but he cleared it – he has some power behind him."

Despite Solness’s disappointment, JJ Slevin and Joseph Patrick O’Brien did pick up the win in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle with Talk The Talk who pipped Ballyfad on the line in a photo finish.

Elsewhere, Cousin Kate won the day’s opening race – the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy And Maureen Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle – for trainer Denis Hogan, while Willie Mullins’s nephew Emmet Mullins was delighted to see his charge Backmersackme take the Grade 3 O'Driscolls Irish Whiskey Leopardstown Handicap Chase.

The action was rounded off with Bowensonfire giving Elliott and Kennedy their second win of the day in the Padel At Leopardstown Golf Launching Spring 2026 Handicap Hurdle, before the Martin Hassett-trained 20/1 shot Moonverrin took the Grade 2 Coolmore N.H. Sires Los Angeles Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race on the line ahead of Royal Hillsborough.