BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD emerged victorious over Champion Hurdle titleholder State Man in an impressive display at the Neville Hotels Hurdle, yet many bettors expressed their frustration over what they deemed ‘poor’ tactics executed at the start.

It appeared that Paul Townend was caught off balance as Sam Ewing on the winning horse and Danny Gilligan on the leading horse, King Of Kingsfield, sped ahead.

Many punters believed Paul Townend was caught off guard on State Man, depicted in yellow and black silks at the rear, while Brighterdaysahead surged ahead at the start - maintaining a commanding lead to secure a remarkable 30-length victory

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Many punters believed Paul Townend was caught off guard on State Man, depicted in yellow and black silks at the rear, while Brighterdaysahead surged ahead at the start – maintaining a commanding lead to secure a remarkable 30-length victory
The winner and the pace-setting horse were far ahead by the time they cleared the first jump

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The winner and the pace-setting horse were far ahead by the time they cleared the first jump

This left the other six competitors, including State Man, trailing significantly right from the start.

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And the gap only widened, with Gordon Elliott’s exceptional mare winning by an incredible 30 lengths over the 66-1 longshot Winter Fog.

State Man, the 4-9 favorite, seemed sluggish and was unable to find his pace.

Brighterdaysahead, who had previously defeated State Man in the Morgiana, confirmed this performance with overwhelming dominance after being sent off at 5-2.

This outcome was particularly disheartening for Patrick Mullins, who had expressed confidence in his father’s horse.

Before the Grade 1 at Leopardstown, Patrick commented: “Brighterdaysahead is a fantastic mare, even better than I initially thought, and much credit goes to Gordon and Jack (Kennedy) for their relentless backing of her.”

“But I’m firmly behind State Man here.”

“Whatever it costs for Santa, whatever the holiday meal expense, get it all back on State Man.”

“With a prior run behind him at Leopardstown, I believe he will bounce back.”

Regarding the tactical approach that the Elliott team utilized at the start, one bettor opined: “Brighterdaysahead is quite a mare, but why did Mullins let them get away like that?”

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Another observer stated: “Once they sprinted 10-15 lengths in the lead, the outcome was almost settled unless she fell.”

“State Man is clearly not the same horse as he once was, but did Townend genuinely think Brighterdaysahead would slow down knowing she has significant speed?”

“Awful tactics.”

Brighterdaysahead was quickly slashed to as short as 7-2 from 20-1 for the Champion Hurdle, while the re-energized Constitution Hill rose to the position of 4-7 favorite.

To the dismay of many, Elliott later commented that they intend to stick with their plan of competing in the Mares Hurdle.

Initially, the markets were thrown into disarray as Paddy Power kept odds at 11-4 following Elliott’s remarks but were soon compelled to adjust to 7-4.

Brighterdaysahead may go up against Lossiemouth in the Mares, although Mullins has recently suggested they would continue their pursuit of the Champion Hurdle and a rematch with Constitution Hill.

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