Cheltenham Festival 2025 News: Brighterdayahead Announced For Champion Hurdle Bid

The stage is set for one of the most intriguing clashes at the Cheltenham Festival in 2025, as Gordon Elliott has told the Racing Post that Brighterdaysahead will 'take her chance' in the Champion Hurdle.

The Irish trainer has never won the feature on day one of the Festival, but Elliott has made no secret of the fact that he believes that his six-year-old mare is his best chance of a winner in the race for many a year.

Brighterdaysahead was last in action over Christmas, producing a memorable performance to beat State Man by a 30-length margin in the G1 Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown.

However, there were fears among many fans that connections would opt against a run in the Champion Hurdle with the Mares' Hurdle looking like a more straightforward proposition.

Speaking to the Racing Post, Elliott revealed that the official plan was finalised over the weekend after talking with Michael and Eddie O'Leary, with a key reason behind the decision being the fact that they haven't teamed up to win the Champion Hurdle before.

Hopes will be high ahead of her battle against Constitution Hill next week, with Elliott stating: "She has pleased me every step of the way since Leopardstown at Christmas and she has even filled out and strengthened up a lot since you saw her last. She's a really powerful mare now and we feel she deserves to take her chance in the big one."

Mares have an excellent record in the feature on day one, with Honeysuckle winning back-to-back editions in 2021 and 2022.

Meanwhile, Epatante and Annie Power have also won the race since 2016. Brighterdaysahead will get 7lb from Henderson's superstar as well as returning champion State Man.