Brighterdaysahead routed her rivals with an exceptional performance as State Man could finish only third in Leopardstown’s Neville Hotels Hurdle.
The race was billed as a rematch between Brighterdaysahead and State Man – first and second in that order in last month’s Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown – but it soon turned into a one-horse procession as the Gordon Elliott-trained mare poured it on in the hands of Sam Ewing.
The 5/2 chance tracked the strong gallop set by stablemate King Of Kingsfield in the early stages, the pair of them around a dozen lengths clear of the pack, and she picked up the running when the leader began to tire over the second-last flight of hurdles.
She powered down to the last flight, with odds-on favourite…