Brighterdaysahead: Profile, Record, Age & Best Races

Brighterdaysahead is a phenomenal race mare and has landed successive Irish Grade 1 wins this season to truly announce herself on the big stage.

She has twice defeated reigning Champion Hurdler State Man on home soil and is now set for a mouth-watering clash with unbeaten superstar Constitution Hill at the Cheltenham Festival.

Name: Brighterdaysahead

Age: 6

Weight: 11st 5lb

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Winnings: £349,785

Cheltenham Festival wins: 0

Brighterdaysahead race stats

Runs	1st	2nd	3rd
10	9	1	0

Brighterdaysahead Age

Brighterdaysahead is a six-year-old mare by French sire Kapgarde and a half-sister to winners Mighty Potter, French Dynamite and Caldwell Potter.

Brighterdaysahead Weight

In her most recent start, Brighterdaysahead carried 11st 5lb in the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown in December 2024.

Brighterdaysahead Record

Brighterdaysahead has won nine of her first 10 career starts. She landed bumpers at Gowran Park and Fairyhouse in the spring of 2023 before starting off her career over jumps with wins at Thurles and Down Royal later that year.

She impressively won the Listed Apple's Jade Mares Novice Hurdle at Navan in February 2024 but was held in second at the Cheltenham Festival in the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle behind Golden Ace on her first trip to the Cotswolds.

Rider Jack Kennedy felt a modest early place in that contest had undermined her chances, suggesting that if he had allowed her go on, she would have been too keen and compromised her chance.

She rebounded to win the Grade 1 Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree and is now 3-3 in open company since returning from her summer break.

She started off at Down Royal in November before downing Champion Hurdler State Man in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown.

At Leopardstown over Christmas, she followed stablemate King Of Kingsfield in setting a ferocious early gallop before powering clear to win by 30 lengths in a remarkable performance in that 2m Grade 1 Neville Hotels Hurdle.

Brighterdaysahead Next Race

Connections of Brighterdaysahead have confirmed that she will run in the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday 11th March.

Brighterdaysahead Owner and Cost

Brighterdaysahead is owned by Gigginstown House Stud, the racing arm of Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary.

The famous maroon and white silks have been around jumps racing for more than two decades and have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup with War Of Attrition (2006) for Mouse Morris and Don Cossack (2016) for Gordon Elliott.

The same two handlers have provided three Aintree Grand National wins, with Rule The World in 2016 for Morris preceding the historic back-to-back victories for Tiger Roll in 2019 and 2020.

Tiger Roll also had a fantastic five Cheltenham Festival wins on his CV in an outstanding and versatile career.

O'Leary announced in late 2023 that he was planning to phase out his National Hunt team over the next five years, but he had already paid €310,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Sales in June 2022 to acquire this mare.  

Brighterdaysahead Trainer

Brighterdaysahead is based at Cullentra House Stables in Co Meath with Gordon Elliott, a long-standing ally for Gigginstown and a trainer the O'Learys have steadfastly backed despite some controversial moments.

Elliott has won the Aintree Grand National three times, with Silver Birch scoring as his very first runner in 2007 before Tiger Roll's double.

He has saddled 40 Cheltenham Festival winners, including Don Cossack in the Gold Cup and was crowned leading trainer at the meeting in 2017 and 2018.

Brighterdaysahead Official Rating

After her Leopardstown success in the Neville Hotels Hurdle, Brighterdaysahead has an official rating over timber of 163, while her best Racing Post Rating (RPR) was the 165 achieved in that same contest.

Brighterdaysahead Prize Money

Brighterdaysahead has pocketed a handsome £349,785 for her connections in prize money, with her biggest paydays being the €90,000 she gained for each of her wins in the Morgiana and Neville Hotels Hurdles wins this season.

Brighterdaysahead News

Gordon Elliott believes that Brighterdaysahead could be his best ever chance to win a Champion Hurdle, despite the presence of unbeaten superstar Constitution Hill.

"I don't think we've had as good a chance in the Champion Hurdle before. We've been second and third but Jack Kennedy says Brighterdaysahead is different class," said Elliott.

"I have the utmost respect for Nicky Henderson and Constitution Hill is the horse we all have to beat."

Brighterdaysahead to face Constitution Hill at Cheltenham