Lossiemouth (horse)

Lossiemouth is a grey mare bred in France jointly by Ian Kellit and the Elevage des Vallons stud. Her dam, Mariner's Light, won once on the flat and is, through her dam Lady Glitters, a half-sister to the 2019 Queen Anne Stakes winner Lord Glitters. Her sire, Great Pretender, was a listed winner both on the flat and over hurdles. Lossiemouth was named after the town in Scotland where Kellit's partner Susan Haynes Kellit had been to school. Unsold at €14,000 as a yearling, the filly went into training with Yannick Fouin. She made her racecourse debut on 3 April 2022 at Auteuil in the Prix Geographie, a hurdle race over 1 mile 7 furlongs for three-year-old fillies who had never raced over obstacles. Leading from the first hurdle, she won by 10 lengths in spite of a mistake at the last that nearly unseated her jockey, Jeremy Da Silva. After her impressive debut, Lossiemouth was sold to Rich Ricci and went into training with Willie Mullins in Ireland. ==Racing career==

2022/23 National Hunt season Lossiemouth's first start for her new owner and trainer was the Grade 3 Bar One Racing Juvenile Hurdle over 2 miles at Fairyhouse on 4 December 2022. Ridden by Danny Mullins, she started at 3/1 second favourite and won easily by four lengths, beating stablemate and favourite Zarak the Brave. She started at odds-on favourite in her next race, the Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown on Boxing Day. Ridden by Paul Townend, who would become her regular jockey, she again won easily, beating Gala Marceau by seven-and-a-half lengths. Lossiemouth's reputation was undamaged by her unlucky loss at Leopardstown, and she started as 11/8 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, leading home a 1-2-3-4 for Mullins, with Gala Marceau in second place. After the race, the trainer said: "[Townend] thought she was actually idling come up the straight and thinks there is a little bit more in the tank – she looks a star mare. But for the traffic problems in Leopardstown she'd be unbeaten for us." Lossiemouth was only the fifth filly to win the Triumph Hurdle. In her final appearance of the season, she beat Zarak the Brave by one-and-a-half lengths in the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April. On Boxing Day at Kempton, she was no match for Constitution Hill and was beaten two-and-a-half lengths into second place. Although she had been campaigned for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, Lossiemouth was switched to the Mares' Hurdle, which she won for the second time. The season ended with victory in the Aintree Hurdle, after favourite Constitution Hill had fallen at the second out. 2025/26 National Hunt season The season started for Lossiemouth in November with an nineteen length win in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, making all in a field of four. She then faced stiffer opposition in the December Hurdle, but held off Brighterdaysahead to win by a length and claim her ninth Grade 1 victory. After her return to Ireland, Lossiemouth was paraded in the village of Leighlinbridge along with her stablemates, Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior and Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Il Etait Temps. Lossiemouth finished the season with victory in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, bringing her total of Grade 1 wins to eleven. Starting at odds on favourite, she went clear approaching the last to beat runner-up Golden Ace by five lengths. ==References==