Lossiemouth on home turf this Christmas for December Hurdle bid

Lossiemouth is set to enjoy home comforts at Christmas with the December Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 29 in her sights.

This time last year the brilliant grey mare came over to Kempton but could not handle Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle, though their careers have certainly gone in different directions since.

With Willie Mullins’ number one two-mile hurdler State Man on the sidelines – and Anzadam not quite living up to his reputation at Newcastle – there is a gap at the top of the pecking order.

“I suppose it makes sense to go to Leopardstown,” said Patrick Mullins, who is assistant to his father.

“She didn’t look at home on the quick track at Kempton last year – even though she has a Flat pedigree.

“I’d imagine now with State Man out it would make sense for her to go to Leopardstown.

“I could see the logic in Anzadam coming over (to Kempton) as he ran well at Newcastle (in the Fighting Fifth).

“He’s entitled to improve more than most of them because he’s very fragile and very keen, so we don’t work him hard – he’ll come forward a lot.

“I wasn’t surprised he flattened out. Paul (Townend) said he hung, which he was a little disappointed at, but he maybe just got tired.”

Galopin Des Champs, meanwhile, will get the chance to show he is still very much a force to be reckoned with when he lines up in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.

The dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero – who could not emulate the likes of Best Mate in making it a hat-trick at the Festival in March – has yet to run this season, but will be aiming to win the Leopardstown race for a third year in succession.

Mullins went on: “We’re very happy with Galopin. He missed the John Durkan as he’d missed a bit of time, so we just said what was the point in rushing for it when we had plenty of others for it.

“It will be hard starting off at Christmas, but I think this year more than ever we are building to March. He’s got one more chance realistically to win another Gold Cup.

“He might not have beaten the winner last year, but he couldn’t lie up against horses he’d normally dominate, then he came back to Punchestown and ran them into the ground. It wasn’t like he got an easy lead. But for whatever reason we don’t think he quite showed up at Cheltenham – that is why it is hard to do three (Gold Cups).”