Honeysuckle bids to bloom again

Unbeaten mare faces five rivals on Fairyhouse return.

Grade One-winning mare Honeysuckle will put her unbeaten record on the line on a quality card at Fairyhouse.

Successful on her only start in the point-to-point sphere, the daughter of Sulamani won each of her four starts over hurdles after joining Henry de Bromhead last season – including three victories at this track.

The five-year-old progressed from a maiden hurdle success to landing a Listed event at Thurles and a Grade Three at Fairyhouse before rounding off her campaign with a dominant display in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final.

Honeysuckle is set to face five rivals on her return to action in Tuesday’s two-and-a-half-mile www.fairyhouse.ie Hurdle.

De Bromhead said: “We’re looking forward to getting her started. It looks a competitive race, but we have to start somewhere.

“She’s done plenty of work at home and she’s ready to run, so we’ll see how we get on.

“The horses seem in good form, and I’m happy with the way they’ve been running of late.”

Willie Mullins saddles a pair of Grade Two winners in Easy Game and Mister Blue Sky. The latter was last seen finishing a creditable third behind his esteemed stablemate Klassical Dream in the Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.

Dermot McLoughlin’s high-class performer Canardier, the Joseph O’Brien-trained The Moyglass Flyer and Camden Village from Gordon Elliott’s yard complete the line-up.

It could be another big day for Elliott’s powerhouse team, with the Cullentra handler unleashing potential future star in Andy Dufresne.

Bought for £330,000 after winning an Irish point-to-point, the JP McManus-owned five-year-old could not have been more impressive when making a successful debut under Rules in a Down Royal bumper in late January.

Andy Dufresne is quoted for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Ballymore and the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in March – and kicks off his jumping career under rules over two and a half miles in the Fairyhouse Easter Saturday Maiden Hurdle.

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