This does not look a race to get cute with. With Lossiemouth diverted, the 2026 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle has opened up, but only to a point. On the evidence in front of us, Wodhooh is the mare with the strongest overall profile and the one they all have to beat.
She has done very little wrong over hurdles. In fact, she has been beaten only once in this sphere, and her two runs this season suggest she has come back every bit as good as she was last spring. She won a Grade 2 at Ascot in tidy fashion, then followed up in a Grade 3 at Leopardstown, beating Feet Of A Dancer with enough authority to suggest there is still more in the locker.
The biggest plus is that she is already proven at Cheltenham. Winning the Martin Pipe over course and distance at the Festival is not just a nice line on the page, it is hard evidence that she handles the track, the hill and the occasion. Plenty arrive here with smart Irish form; fewer have shown they can deliver it on this stage.
The figures back her up as well. HRB has her top-rated on 154, clear of the field, and the trend model is strongly in her favour. She comes out with the best overall fit by some distance, which is exactly what you want when you are trying to separate a solid favourite from a vulnerable one. Timeform take the same view, making her the confident selection now that the division’s star act has gone elsewhere.
That is not to say she is facing a weak bunch. Jade De Grugy is the clear danger. She was second in this race last year behind Lossiemouth, and that form alone gives her a major shout. She has spent much of this season over fences and did that well enough, including an easy Grade 2 win at Thurles. Back over hurdles for Willie Mullins, with Paul Townend booked, she is the one with the class and track form to make life uncomfortable for the favourite.
The concern with Jade De Grugy is whether she is quite as straightforward as Wodhooh. Timeform’s pace note hints that she can travel like the winner and not always finish the job after trading shorter in running. In a Festival Grade 1, that matters. She is a big threat, but not one without a question to answer.
Of the rest, Take No Chances looks the solid each-way player. She was third in this race last year, she stays well, and she has a habit of running her race even when not quite good enough to win. If this turns into a proper test, she is the sort to keep grinding up the hill and pick off those who have gone too hard or simply run out of class.
Feet Of A Dancer also deserves respect. She has been admirably consistent, beat Dream On Baby in the Yorkshire Rose at Doncaster and split Wodhooh and the rest at Leopardstown. She is genuine and arrives in form, but on balance she looks more likely to hit the frame than land the prize.
There is a slight wrinkle on pace. Timeform calls it a likely weakly run race, while HRB’s shape view points to two front-runners and enough pressure to create a stronger test than first expected. That difference is worth noting. If the race becomes tactical, Jade De Grugy’s prominent style could be a help. If it is truly run, Wodhooh’s finishing strength becomes even more potent. Either way, the favourite still makes most appeal because she has already shown she can travel, settle and finish off her race strongly.
Recent history of the Mares’ Hurdle also points towards class rising to the top. Lossiemouth won the last two, Honeysuckle took it before that, and even when the market got it wrong with Marie’s Rock, the winner still had the right sort of profile for the race. This contest usually goes to a mare with top-level ability, not a speculative outsider. Wodhooh fits the pattern.
The simplest reading is still the right one. She has the best recent hurdle form, proven Cheltenham credentials, the strongest ratings case and the most convincing trend profile. In a race where the obvious one often is the right one, there is no need to force a surprise.
Verdict: Wodhooh to win.
Main danger: Jade De Grugy.
Best of the rest: Take No Chances.
Is the selection bombproof? So so.
She is the most likely winner, but Jade De Grugy is good enough to make this a proper race if it unfolds her way.