Can Lossiemouth get the better of the boys at Aintree?

Lossiemouth roared back to form with her second successive Mares' Hurdle win at Cheltenham, but where will Willie Mullins send her next?

The Rich Ricci-owned star was being campaigned for a tilt at the Champion Hurdle but loss of form, a fall and then poor homework saw her instead pointed towards the Mares' contest.

Liverpool could be next for Lossiemouth, but will she be a threat to the boys in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle?

No regrets after Cheltenham romp

Mullins would be entitled to have his share of regrets after watching the Champion Hurdle.

State Man, the reigning champion, appeared set to retain the crown after market principles Constitution Hill and Brighterdaysahead fluffed their lines.

Paul Townend's partner approached the last with a sizeable lead but he crashed down, the race at his mercy, allowing Golden Ace to sweep through and win for Jeremy Scott and Lorcan Williams.

They'd have said you have to be in it to win it, allowing for the big names all flattering to deceive, but Lossiemouth wasn't in it.

Instead, she had turned the preceding Mares' Hurdle into a procession, oozing too much class against her own sex. Mullins was happy.

"Rich (Ricci) has put big investment into the game and everyone wants to have a winner here at the Festival. You can slice and dice it whatever way you want and you say 'where is the best opportunity' and that is where the best opportunity was," he said.

Aintree on the agenda?

Neither Mullins nor Ricci have given any great indication about where she might go next. The Mares' Hurdle was run over 2m4f and it leaves Lossiemouth unbeaten in two attempts at that intermediate distance.

Her connections were willing to have a crack at Constitution Hill over 2m in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton but the mare was under the gun early on, largely due to the fact she'd been taught to settle better and that meant the early pace was a problem.

We will never know how the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown was going to play out in February but Lossiemouth was engaging in some battle with State Man before she crashed out.

After her Mares' success, could the 2m4f Aintree Hurdle be the next stopping point?

Another Constitution Hill clash on Merseyside

If it is to be that way, then another clash with Nicky Henderson's superstar looks likely as Constitution Hill is seemingly going to go to Liverpool.

He fell in the Champion at Cheltenham, the first blemish of his career, and has won the Aintree race before.

On her Cheltenham form, and on what the Seven Barrows star has delivered so far this season, she could give him a real race at Aintree.

Would there be anything else knocking around in Britain or Ireland to worry Lossiemouth at the intermediate trip? On the face of it, it looks unlikely.

Golden Ace, State Man and Brighterdaysahead all seem destined for Punchestown in a few weeks' time, so Lossiemouth could be the ideal candidate for Mullins' reduced Aintree team this year.

She was no match for Constitution Hill at Christmas, but this is a different test and based on what we witnessed from both at Cheltenham, it would be hard to call it either way.

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