Jade just brilliant in Irish Champion Hurdle

Apple's Jade destroyed her rivals to claim the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle in stunning fashion at Leopardstown this afternoon.

Gordon Elliott 's star mare showed her remarkable versatility when dropping back to two miles for the first time in over two years.

Jack Kennedy took up his customary front-running position on the French-bred and the 8/11 shot proved much too hot to handle for her Grade 1 rivals.

The seven-year-old powered clear on the turn for home and went further away from the field in the closing stages to post a 16-length winning margin over last year's winner Supasundae

It was a tenth top level success for the Gigginstown-owned mare and the obvious first question for Elliott after the success was whether she would line up in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next month.

“We'll get her home and discuss it with the owners. She's entered and we won't rule anything out.

“She's in the Champion Hurdle, she's in the Mares Hurdle and she's in the Stayer's Hurdle. She could run in any of them and we'll see what happens.

“If I tell you something here today I'd only be telling you a lie. We want to get the mare home in one piece and make sure she's okay. We're lucky to have her and she's a very good mare.

“I'm going to go and enjoy tonight and see what happens. Everything is a possibility now.

“I'll have my opinion, Eddie will have his opinion and Michael will have his opinion. Whatever Michael says that's what we'll all do!

“Buveur D'air runs shortly and we have to see him.

“That was just relief. You put yourself under pressure when you are running horses like that and it's a big relief.

“She's got a big heart and she doesn't do anything exciting at home. She wants to win.

“When she winged the second last I was happy. When she kicked off the home turn I knew that Jack had the rail and it was going to take a fair one to pass her.

“It was well publicised that she wasn't right in Cheltenham or Punchestown last year, she was in season, and we have to make sure it doesn't happen again.

“She's a monster, she's something else and we're lucky to have her.”

On his decision to run in the Irish Champion Hurdle Elliott added:- “I thought I gave her too much time between Christmas and Cheltenham last year.

“There is no other race she'd could run in here, not unless she went for a novice chase and we weren't going to do that!

“A lot of credit has to go to Michael O'Leary and Gigginstown for running the mare here today because it was a big ask for her to come back to two miles.

“These are the type of horses you want at these festivals. There was no other race to suit her and they were ballsy enough to bring her back and run her over two miles. It was great.

“Whatever happens now we can enjoy the weekend as you put yourself under so much pressure coming here.

“To have two Grade 1s here it doesn't matter what happens the rest of the weekend.

When it was put to him that it was good to have a replacement for Samcro he said:-

“Samcro will be back. He's in work, he's cantering away and we're happy with him.

On the possibility of making Cheltenham he added:- “We'll rule nothing out.”

Kennedy added:- “She’s unbelievable no matter what trip it is and she makes very good horses look ordinary. They came with me early on but the further we went the further clear she went. She’s special.

“She’s the best hurdler I’ve ridden full stop. I know I’m still only a young lad but when you are growing up that’s what you dream about — riding top class horses. It’s very exciting.”

Paddypower make Apple's Jade 7/4 from 5/1 (NRNB) for the Champion Hurdle. Boylesports are 4/1 from 7/1 for the Champion Hurdle.

Willie Mullins admitted to be very disappointed with the run of Melon who finished well held in fourth:-

“I would have expected Melon to hop off that ground. I would have expected him to go on it better than any of the others being a Flat horse.

“He was disappointing. He was never going and I can't find anything wrong with him. That's two bad runs now for no apparent reason.

“We've changed a lot of things with him at home and worked him differently.

“I wonder at this stage does he need to go out in trip or is he looking for a fence.

“I think he's still not in form. His homework looks good but his racetrack work doesn't. Maybe it's ground, maybe he's better on much softer, we'll see.

“He ran a cracker at Cheltenham last year but I don't think we've had him back to that on the racetrack.

“We thought he was working really well at home but he's gone out and disappointed really badly today.

“The mare was fantastic. We could have run a lot better and still been behind the mare. It would have been hard to beat her even if we were right. She was very very good today.”

(Additional reporting by Alan Magee)