Mares Hurdle Preview 2023: Brandy Love and Maries Rock are a class apart

• Daryl can't get away from two class acts in the Mares Hurdle

• Says Love Envoi needs to step up considerably

• A suprise entry for Honeysuckle...

The Mares' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival open to mares aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs.

Marie looks rock solid to defend her title

Nicky Henderson's Marie's Rock 11/4 returned to action with an excellent win in the Grade 2 Reel Keel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, recording a career-best effort on all known figures.

She beat the boys and a very solid 150-rated field on the back of a 246-day break, and that performance eclipsed what she achieved when winning this race last season.

She has only had 12 starts over hurdles (won seven of them), is a dual Grade 1 winner, and should be unbeaten since Boxing Day 2021, but for a mishap in the Lanzarote at Kempton last season.

She has a devastating turn of foot and travels like a dream through her races. She had her problems a long time ago, but throwing stones at anything she has achieved is very hard.

She is miles clear of 2022 Mares Novice Hurdle winner Love Envoi 4/1 who emerges from the Novice division on this latest evidence, and she had most of these in her back pocket last season in this contest.

In a normal year, she would not look out of place in a Champion Hurdle. She is simply electric.

Love Envoi needs significant improvements on Sandown showing

Love Envoi 4/1 looked good at Sandown when scoring on her second start of the season in the mud against inferior rivals by 14 lengths. Still, that performance on the clock needs significant improvement, and unless the ground turns into a deep play pit, she will need all the luck available.

Soft ground was very much in her favour in the Mares Novice Hurdle last season when a gusty winner, and while she is still open to improvement to keep the dream alive for connections, she lacks the turn of foot of one or two of these, and she is opposed.

Another that can be opposed is Queens Brook 12/1. She was exposed at Leopardstown by Shewearsitwell 12/1 and, although very much the talking horse for this contest early in the term, she doesn't have the gears of Maries Rock, evident by her well-held second in this contest last year.

Tellmesomethinggirl 16/1, an electric winner of the Mares Novices' Hurdle in 2021 and brought down when travelling well in this contest in 2022, looks as though she could revert back to hurdles despite scoring on her latest chase start. Her jumping was not good enough in that sphere, but she is not to be written off if taking up this engagement.

She came up the Cheltenham hill in excellent fashion in her Mares Novice romp, and there is an air of unknown quality about her. She lurks in the market at a big price and comes alive in the spring.

Brandy, where are you?

The horse that could blow this division apart is the class act Brandy Love 5/1. However, she has not been seen since the dispelling Love Envoi at Fairyhouse by eight lengths at the back end of last season despite jumping out to her left.

She has only run on a left-handed track twice, recording a three-length defeat and a ten-length romp. She is completely unexposed after just five career starts and has star quality. She was pulled out of the Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham last year on a vets certificate but to do what she did to Allegorie De Vassy and Love Envoi going the wrong way around and losing plenty of ground out to her left suggests she could be the one to be on.

All eye's are on the entries this coming month after only re-entering full training in December.

Echoes In Rain 12/1 makes this a competitive heat but is hard to pin down and she does have a Champion Hurdle entry also. She is only seven and could have plenty of improvement to come this season. She fell when staying on behind Teahupoo at Fairyhouse in the Hattons Grace Hurdle (2m4f) and finished up behind Honeysuckle previously at Punchestown on her final outing last season.

Her biggest asset is her ability to travel through strongly run races, so she could easily be a back-to-lay bet on the Betfair Exchange. Still, she couldn't match the turn of foot of Maries Rock in this race last year, and she looks a little trip-less at this level.

Honeysuckle gets a surprise entry

Connections of 2022 Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle recently said in an interview that Honeysuckle would run in the Champion Hurdle or be retired. Hence, her presence in this field at the entry stage is rather baffling.

She may not be the best Champion Hurdler we have seen in recent years, and she did dominate a rather below-par bunch but she would be a force to be reckoned with should she come back against her own sex.

She would be a strong favourite for this contest if coming to this route, and we await connections' comments.

Verdict

Maries Rock is undoubtedly the right favourite and should be shorter on the latest evidence with Brandy Love's whereabouts still unknown. However, Brandy Love lurks, and she is easily her biggest threat. For now, I am keeping both horses on side, but the winner almost certainly comes from these two. Back them both, sit back and call this one a win.