Honeysuckle ready for Leopardstown defence Jockey Rachael Blackmore will bid to win back-to-back Grade One Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdles on the star mare Honeysuckle on Saturday at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. Honeysuckle has provided Rachael with a remarkable five Grade 1 victories already, including her first domestic Grade 1 at Fairyhouse in 2019. Honeysuckle has yet to be beaten in any of her 9 starts to date and Rachael says she is in great form ahead of her title defence. "Honeysuckle heads for the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle and we're very much looking forward to her," said the title chasing jockey. "Obviously she won the race last year so she's back to defend her title. "She seems well at home, she seems to have come out of the race the last day well. "She was good in the Hatton's Grace - there's no Grade One out there that's easy to win and she seems to have produced the goods every day. I can never fault her. "She's definitely captured my imagination anyway. She's been fantastic to me and hopefully now we can just keep it going. "She seems very well at home. Coleman Comerford rides her out every day. I don't get to sit on her much. "He's the man who takes over the reins at home and he's happy with her so once he's happy I'm happy."
