Excitement is building ahead of the impending arrival of Honeysuckle’s eagerly-awaited first foal.
Owned by Kenny Alexander and trained by Henry de Bromhead, she was one of the most popular and successful National Hunt racemares of any era, winning four times at the Cheltenham Festival, including twice storming up the famous hill for Champion Hurdle glory.
She bowed out when landing a second Grade One Mares’ Hurdle at the showpiece meeting in 2023, lifting the roof off the Cheltenham grandstands as she outbattled Love Envoi for an emotional farewell in the Cotswolds.
Attention soon switched to her broodmare career and after becoming in foal to Walk In The Park, Honeysuckle is nearing her April due date, bringing both excitement and nerves to all associated with her.
“She’s about three weeks off and I’ve been told she is beginning to make a bit of a bag – it’s very exciting and there’s going to start being a few sleepless nights,” said Peter Molony, racing manager to owner Alexander.
Honeysuckle initially spent time at Molony’s Rathmore Stud in County Limerick before switching to Alexander’s New Hall Stud in Ayrshire.
He added: “It’s both a nervous time and exciting, but we’ve been in this game long enough and please God she will foal safely.
“I’ll definitely be on the first plane over to see what she has produced anyway.”
Honeysuckle in action for the final time at Cheltenham (Tim Goode/PA)
Honeysuckle’s on-track career may be over but Molony may have got his hands on a star of the future, having stretched to a sale-topping £410,000 for impressive point winner Echoing Silence at Cheltenham last Thursday.
Bravemansgame and Gerri Colombe are previous graduates of the sale held after racing on day three of the Festival, while the top two lots from the 2023 auction were Gordon Elliott’s Romeo Coolio and Jalon D’Oudairies, who finished second and third respectively in the Champion Bumper.
A four-length winner at Ballycahane, Echoing Silence will follow in Honeysuckle’s footsteps by joining County Waterford trainer De Bromhead. However, Molony insists it was not him who gave the four-year-old ‘the next Honeysuckle’ moniker.
“I saw that was the headline, but it certainly wasn’t me who said that,” Molony commented on the Honeysuckle comparison.
“It was a lot of money for her but she is the most beautiful-looking thing in the world and we actually sold her half-brother Deafening Silence, so I knew the family well.
“I saw her win her point and she was impressive, and I had been hearing about her beforehand. It’s always nice when you hear about them beforehand and they go on to deliver.
“We had to pull the choke out to get her but hopefully she will be lucky for us.”
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The Kenny Alexander camp has expressed their pride after star mares Kargese and Telmesomethinggirl went close to getting on the scoresheet at the Cheltenham Festival.
Spring Juvenile winner Kargese was part of a strong team of juveniles Willie Mullins saddled for the Triumph Hurdle and despite racing keenly in the hands of Danny Mullins, shaped the most likely winner jumping the final obstacle before being reeled in by the hugely talented Majborough in the closing stages.
It is the second year in a row Alexander has had to settle for a silver medal in the juvenile Grade One following Gala Marceau’s second to Lossiemouth in 2023.
Kargese (left) had to settle for second behind Majborough in the Triumph Hurdle (Adam Davy/PA)
However, Kargese could now continue to chart the same path her stablemate took 12 months ago, with both Punchestown’s feature juvenile attraction and Auteuil’s Prix Alain du Breil in the equation for later in the campaign.
“Kargese’s run I was watching and thought ‘we’ve got this, she’s going to run away’ and I have to admit I was gutted for the first hour or so after the race,” said the owners racing manager, Peter Molony.
“Looking back now, we have to be very proud of the run. She pulled her head off and fought for her head the whole way round and I think ultimately, that may have cost her. I know the winner looks seriously good but I think she would have given him a proper race if she settled a bit better maybe.
“We’re hugely proud of her. She is most likely to go to Punchestown and Auteuil for the French Triumph will also have to be under consideration – we were lucky to win that with Gala Marceau last year.”
Telmesomethinggirl is a Cheltenham specialist (Tim Goode/PA)
Alexander has enjoyed many special moments at the Cheltenham Festival – mainly down to the exploits of dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle, who bowed out after her fourth straight victory in the Cotswolds in last year’s Mares’ Hurdle.
The owner came close to keeping his hands on the Mares’ Hurdle trophy after the fine effort of previous Festival heroine Telmesomethinggirl, as she just failed in her challenge of taking on Lossiemouth in the day one contest.
“We were so happy with Telmesomethinggirl,” continued Molony.
“We thought after her last run at Naas there was still a huge amount of improvement in her and Henry was very bullish she was going to give them something to think about, including Lossiemouth.
Telmesomethinggirl (red cap) bumped into Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle (Mike Egerton/PA)
“The difference in her physical appearance between Naas and Cheltenham shows you how good Henry is at tuning them up for the big day and she was trained right to the minute, she looked magnificent.
“I think the ground was a little bit against her and she would have preferred good ground, although I’m not sure she would have beaten Lossiemouth on any ground – she’s a monster. But we were very proud of Telmesomethinggirl’s run.”
Now nine, the Henry de Bromhead-trained mare already has the next stage of her career mapped out for her, with a date with Blue Bresil already pencilled in.
However, she could get one more chance to showcase her talent on the racecourse having raised her game once again when visiting Prestbury Park.
Rachael Blackmore and Telmesomethinggirl on the gallops at Cheltenham (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)
Molony added: “She’s nine and is booked in to Blue Bresil and will hopefully be covered at some stage. Hopefully if she comes into season and everything is right, maybe in the next six weeks and we will try and maybe get one more run into her, maybe Aintree or Punchestown.
“However, I do think she is a 10lb better mare at Cheltenham, she just seems to love the place.”
One member of the Alexander string who slightly under performed last week was Jade De Grugy, who was sent off the 2-1 second favourite for a red-hot Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
A winner in France before transferring to Closutton, the Mullins-trained five-year-old impressed in her first two starts in Ireland, but was unsuited by the muddling pace in the Cheltenham Grade Two and, having had her momentum checked at a crucial moment could only finish fourth as the sprint for home unfolded.
Jade De Grugy could now be given a chance to make amends in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle on March 31 – a race the great Honeysuckle won herself in 2019.
“Of the horses that were placed, I think she was the biggest disappointment for us,” said Molony.
“They just crawled and it turned into a sprint and she got a bit scrummaged at the wrong time as they were quickening, so we were a little bit disappointed to be honest.
“We know she is going to be a very good mare and we’re going to have a lot of fun with her if please God she stays in one piece.
“Willie will have a look and see what he thinks and how she has come out of the race. There was talk before the race that if she came out of it well enough she could go for the Honeysuckle in Fairyhouse. That is a very quick turnaround, but we will see.”
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Doddiethegreat will step back up in trip for a shot at the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival having delighted his team when flying home for fourth in Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle.
Named after former Scotland rugby star Doddie Weir – who died of motor neurone disease in 2022 – prize-money from the eight-year-old’s on-track exploits is donated by his great friend, owner Kenny Alexander, to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation set up in Weir’s name to aid research into MND.
The foundation reaped the rewards of that generous gesture at the beginning of the gelding’s career and although injury threatened to curtail Doddiethegreat’s progress, keeping him sidelined for over two years, he has continued tracking an upwards curve since his racecourse return earlier this season.
Nico de Boinville and Doddiethegreat after winning at Ascot earlier this season (PA)
Trainer Nicky Henderson may have saddled the winner of Saturday’s Betfair Hurdle, Iberico Lord, but the Seven Barrows handler was just as thrilled with Doddiethegreat who kept on strongly to claim fourth.
Connections now feel the time is right to move up to two miles and five furlongs at the Cheltenham Festival – a distance Doddiethegreat won over on his hurdles bow in 2021.
“We were delighted with his run and Nicky and everyone thinks ideally he needs another half a mile,” said Alexander’s racing manager Peter Molony.
“Given the circumstances, we were really happy with the run and we were perhaps unlucky not to be third and pick up even more money for the cause.
“I think we’ve got the Coral Cup in mind for him and that’s the plan at the moment.
“He’s a lovely horse and of course we have to be a bit careful after his injury, but we’ve been delighted with him and touch wood, the leg seems to be holding up well. Hopefully we can get plenty more runs into him and win plenty more prize-money for the foundation.”
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Few horses captured the public imagination quite like Honeysuckle and the darling of Irish racing brought the curtain down on her illustrious career with one of the most emotional victories in Cheltenham Festival history.
In a script fit for Hollywood, Henry de Bromhead’s mare of a lifetime would climb from the canvas to thrill the Prestbury Park faithful for the fourth successive year, registering a battling swansong success in the hands of her ever-loyal pilot Rachael Blackmore.
Up until the 2022-23 season, Honeysuckle had been simply flawless, but she headed to the Festival with plenty to prove having seen her four-year winning streak ended by Teahupoo and also surrendered her Irish Champion Hurdle crown to State Man at the Dublin Racing Festival.
It was a desperately testing time for the De Bromhead family following the tragic loss of their beloved son Jack in a pony racing accident.
Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead celebrate after winning the Mares’ Hurdle with Honeysuckle (Tim Goode/PA)
However, the stars aligned on a simply magical afternoon where Constitution Hill dazzled in the Champion Hurdle before passing the baton to Honeysuckle to raise the roof off Prestbury Park.
“It was a fantastic day,” said De Bromhead when recalling the magnificent Mares’ Hurdle triumph.
“It was just one of those great days, with Constitution Hill winning the Champion Hurdle, and then everything that had gone on with us with Jack’s passing, and then Honey and whether we would run her or not.
“We decided to give it a go and for her to come out and finish as she did was incredible.
“To see the rainbow above her when she was walking in, we knew Jack was with us as well, so it was an amazing day for us. Everyone has been so supportive of us and we really appreciated it. It was an amazing day for many reasons, it was up there with the best of them.”
"When we saw the rainbow, we knew he was with us" @HenrydeBromhead after Home By The Lee won the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at @LeopardstownRC
Honeysuckle’s owner Kenny Alexander and his racing manager Peter Molony have been there for every step of her journey to stardom, but even they were taken aback by the sheer emotion of the post-race scenes taking place at every corner of Cheltenham’s vast racecourse.
“It was an unbelievable day and it was undoubtedly the most emotional day I’ve ever spent on a racecourse, the whole thing was just overwhelming, to be honest,” said Molony.
“The amount of people who came up to me throughout the week and said they had been racing for 40 or 50 years and that magic hour of Constitution Hill and then Honeysuckle was the most amazing and emotional experience that many of them have had in their racing lives. That’s incredible.”
Having lost her aura of invincibility in the Hatton’s Grace and failing to dispel the doubters at Leopardstown when saying goodbye to her vociferous home supporters, questions began to be raised about Honeysuckle’s waning powers and the dents the defeats were making on her legacy.
Of course, there would be no Champion Hurdle showdown with Constitution Hill many had salivated over 12 months prior and it was the Mares’ Hurdle that was chosen as the race for Honeysuckle to wave farewell.
Having first tasted Festival success in that contest in 2020, it proved a fitting contest for her final act and De Bromhead feels the unrest and trepidation heading into racing’s feature meeting helped create the joyous scenes experienced on that memorable afternoon.
He said: “It definitely added to it all, but we felt she was really good and had been all season.
“I’m not sure if things had been slightly different, she could have still been going there unbeaten, but they weren’t and of course it all added to it.”
However, if Molony had got his way, there would have been no fairytale goodbye for one of the most loved and admired mares of the modern era.
“I’ve made it no secret that we had some robust discussions within the camp after Leopardstown and I’ve made it no secret that I was a little bit chicken – I wanted to retire her after Leopardstown,” said Molony.
Rachael Blackmore celebrates after winning aboard Honeysuckle for the final time (Tim Goode/PA)
“I was thinking of how much she meant to us all and the public and there were a few things running through my head.
“I didn’t want anything to happen to her and she clearly wasn’t running to her optimum, she was clearly a few lengths slower than she had been in previous seasons.
“I didn’t want her to be going out on another losing run, but I fully admit 100 per cent I was wrong and Henry and Kenny were right – and it 100 per cent proved it was the right decision to run her on the day.”
Honeysuckle was backed into 9-4 joint-favourite and produced a display that blended together all the qualities she had shown in her career – showing speed, style, bravery and class to repel an inspired Johnny Burke doing his best to spoil the party aboard Love Envoi.
The two Festival heroines were embroiled in their own microscopic duel from the moment the tapes went up and, having jumped the last matching strides, it was only in the final half-furlong where Honeysuckle proved she was still the champion that many remembered.
Honeysuckle eventually got the better of Love Envoi (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)
Molony added: “There was a lot of pressure on and with the whole story leading up to the race, with both Jack and how she had influenced Rachael’s career, and when Rachael delivered her and she jumped the final hurdle, I was happy.
“From then on, she was home safe and then that characteristic battling quality saw her get up to beat Love Envoi.
“I still say that Johnny Burke’s ride on Love Envoi was one of the best rides of the week and he did everything in his power to beat Honeysuckle, but the two girls were more than able on the day.”
Having waltzed into the sunset following her Cheltenham heroics, Honeysuckle soon found herself bestowed to Walk In The Park.
Now in foal to the leading National Hunt sire and with motherhood fast approaching, the only thing to discuss is Honeysuckle’s place in history, with her handler in no doubt of her position amongst the greats to grace his Knockeen gallops.
“She would have to be the best, or very close to it anyhow. For her to do what she did and be so consistent and always turn up, she was incredible,” said De Bromhead.
Rachael Blackmore celebrates after winning the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle in 2022 (Steven Paston/PA)
It is a sentiment shared by Molony, who added: “It’s been a matter of debate over the last few years – what she was beating? But all she could do was beat what is in front of her.
“She won 13 Grade Ones and not many horses can do that. Her record shows she was no slouch.
“You could never have dreamed to have been involved with something like her. When you’re in the game, you are always delighted to get a winner, and to get a good horse gives you even more pleasure, but you can’t imagine you would come across something like Honeysuckle.
“The likes of Charlie Swann and Ruby Walsh and even people like Tony Mullins, who rode the great Dawn Run, they all rate her up there as one of the best National Hunt mares we have ever seen and I think that is how she should be remembered really.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/271376144-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2023-12-22 13:03:072023-12-22 13:03:07The day wonder mare Honeysuckle had her glorious swansong
Connections were thrilled to see Doddiethegreat channel his namesake’s fighting spirit when successfully overcoming a long lay-off at Ascot.
Trained by Nicky Henderson, the seven-year-old is named after the former Scotland rugby union great Doddie Weir, who died in November 2022 following a battle with motor neurone disease.
Owned by Kenny Alexander, of Honeysuckle fame, the gelding won his first three outings with the minimum of fuss and has always been held in high regard.
However, he suffered a tendon injury following a successful hurdling debut at Kempton in 2021 which kept him off the track for over two years.
Making his return after 746 days on the sidelines, he proved the engine remained in-tact with a brilliant comeback win.
And with all the prize-money accrued by Doddiethegreat going to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – a charity set up by Weir to raise funds to aid research into MND – connections were delighted to add just over £15,000 to the pot.
🩵Wonderful to have Doddiethegreat back on the track after so long and fantastic to return with a win! A great job by all the team at home and an excellent ride by @NdeBoinville@Ascotpic.twitter.com/xkSs9MxF9S
“It was fantastic and an amazing training performance,” said Peter Molony, Alexander’s racing manager.
“Nicky Henderson is the master of bringing one back from injury and he’s an exciting horse. Nicky has been very bullish about him all along but just wanted to give him all the time he could.
“It’s a dream and Friday was the first time we had been able to pick up some decent prize-money for the foundation, which was great.
“He’s a horse that has faced a little bit of adversity, similar to Doddie himself, so it was all a bit poignant, I suppose. It was great and a dream.”
Doddie Weir set up the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation (MNDF) prior to his death in late 2022 (Jane Barlow/PA)
In the immediate aftermath of his Ascot triumph, the Scottish Champion Hurdle was mentioned as a target for later in the season, and although keen not to rush matters and consider all possible options, Molony admits the race at Ayrshire-born Alexander’s home track in the spring would be given consideration.
He added: “It’s an option, although he might need a bit further than two miles, ideally. With his past injury, we wouldn’t be running him on fast ground.
“It’s definitely an option and Kenny would love a runner that day, and it is a race he would love to win. So, if it suits on the day, then that will be the race he goes for, but it will be all about the horse.
Nico de Boinville and Doddiethegreat after winning at Ascot (PA)
“With him and his injury history, it will be one day at a time and see how we get on.”
Molony went on: “We’ll probably go to a handicap now and up in trip a little bit. We haven’t picked out a specific target and Nicky is keen to give him a bit of time again after Ascot because we don’t want to be affected by a bounce factor or anything like that.
“We’ll be going the handicap route anyway, I would have thought, and see how he gets on there.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/6124d510-ccf0-4463-a06f-b46a7af85fad-1.jpeg5121024Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2023-11-27 13:11:382023-11-27 13:11:38Doddiethegreat battles back to boost MND charity
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