It’s happening! The first big clash of the season between Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins.

Last season’s Grade 1 winning mare, Brighterdaysahead, trained by Gordon Elliot, makes her seasonal comeback and will face off against the Willie Mullins 150-rated hurdler, Daddy Long Legs.

A clash that is sure to set the tone for what should be a season of top-class jump racing action.

Here, I give you my take on all six runners in the Grade 3 Bottlegreen Hurdle and the best online horse racing bookmakers to make your next horse racing bet a winning one.

Bottlegreen Hurdle runner by runner betting guide

Now it’s time to take a in-dept looking into runners of the Bottlegreen Hurdle and the best horse racing bookmakers to help you make a winning bet.

 1 Daddy Long Legs

• Age: 5
• Weight: 11st 8lb
• Form: 11-501
• Rating: 150
• Jockey: Paul Townend
• Trainer: Willie Mullins

Daddy Long Legs once sat at the top of the Supreme Novice Hurdle betting market after his impressive debut in Thurles last November. But the gloss was soon taken off the Cheltenham Festival hopeful.

Sent off 9/4 favourite for the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Hurdle, Daddy Long Legs was disappointing and eventually pulled up on the home turn.

That race had seemed to have left its mark on Daddy Long Legs as he was found floundering back in sixth, beaten over 27 lengths behind Ballyburn in the Grade 1 Tatterstalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.

And with that defeat, Cheltenham Festival plans were put on hold.

He reappeared for a novice hurdle at Ludlow, where the mission was to regain his confidence, which he did with an easy three-length win. He backed that up with a win in a Listed Handicap Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in the style of a horse we all thought he was.

But, as quick as he got his confidence back, he was sent to Tipperary to a Grade 3 novice hurdle and sent off a 2/5 favourite, only to be beaten no less than 45 lengths.

Somehow, after that, he was sent off as the 5/1 favourite for the Galway Hurdle, where he was once again disappointing, finishing last of 19 runners.

A break was on the cards, and he returned to Tipperary, where he made amends for his loss in July with a 16-length win in the Grade 3 Horse & Jockey Hotel Hurdle.

Now, here is the issue we have with Daddy Long Legs. Which version will turn up at Down Royal?

If the version that saw Daddy Long Legs run away with a Listed Handicap Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, then we are in for an early season treat, but if he downs tools as we saw so often in his short career so far, then it will leave the door wide open for his rivals.

You can not be confident that the real Daddy Long Legs will show up at the prices.

Highly talented when on a going day

Has race fitness on his side

Has a habit of downing tools

Has become expensive to follow

Star rating:

Bet on Daddy Long Legs with talkSPORT BET

2 Brighterdaysahead

• Age: 5
• Weight: 11st 7lb
• Form: 11121-
• Rating: 145
• Jockey: Sam Ewing
• Trainer: Gordon Elliott

The new wonder mare of jumps racing makes her seasonal return over hurdles after the idea of going chasing was flirted with over the off-season.

Sam Ewing has a big opportunity here as he has a leg up on Brighterdaysahead in Jack Kennedy’s absence.

The only blot on her copybook came in the Mares Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival when the race was run at a crawl and turned into a sprint, which might be the case again.

But with no known front runner in the field, they may take the bull by the horns with Brighterdaysahead and make her own running, avoiding the race being run at a slow pace.

She raced a lot closer to the pace when running away with the Grade 1 Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at the Aintree Grand National Festival, so she is more than capable of doing it from the front end.

She is the one in the field with superstar quality, and even with the drop in trip being a slight negative, Brigherdaysahead should be much too good for her five rivals.

I’m expecting big things from her this season.

A mare with a massive engine

Only ever been beaten once

Course and distance winner

Brings star-quality

First run of the season

Star rating:

Bet on Brighterdaysahead with BetMGM

3 Smooth Tom

• Age: 5
• Weight: 11st 5lb
• Form: 1150-2
• Rating: 130
• Jockey: Cian Quirke
• Trainer: Andrew Slattery

Last seen over hurdles at Tipperary, Smooth Tom has a lot to find with Daddy Long Legs on that run.

He has always performed well on the flat and earned himself a rating of 94. Last week, he won an Amateur race at the Curragh back on the flat, confirming his well-being.

This lightly raced hurdler could have more to offer going forward.

But from his 16 lengths second to Daddy Long Legs, he has everything to do here to close the gap with the Willie Mullins-trained gelding.

He should be watched for handicaps down the line, but it’s hard to see him upsetting the odds today.

Comes in here in good form

Has a lot to find with Daddy Long Legs

Star rating:

Bet on Smooth Tom with Spreadex

4 King Of Kingsfield

• Age: 6
• Weight: 11st 1lb
• Form: 21304-
• Rating: 144
• Jockey: Danny Gilligan
• Trainer: Gordon Elliott

A solid 144-performer, King Of Kingsfield was once touted as the next big Gigginstown House Stud superstar, but things haven’t gone as planned.

Turned over at 2/5 on his hurdle debut, he followed by a defeat to now Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Slade Steel when sent off 8/11 favourite. That alone indicates the ability that King Of Kingfield must be showing in his work. But as we know, work doesn’t always translate to the racetrack.

I’m sure he will have much more to offer this season, but like Smooth Tom, the handicap route may be best to catch King Of Kingsfield this season.

If Daddy Long Legs has an off day, he can follow home his stablemate by taking the runner-up spot.

Will have his ideal ground conditions

Has a lot more to offer

There is a lot to find on ratings with Brighterdaysahead

Star rating:

Bet on King of Kingsfield with VBET

5 Breagagh

• Age: 6
• Weight: 10st 11lb
• Form: 3-5224
• Rating: 93
• Jockey: Mr N Gault
• Trainer: S Michael Miller

22 starts over hurdles, and 23 starts on the flat have resulted in zero wins and a rating of just 93 over hurdles for Breagagh, and I can confidently say that this will not change here.

There are no positives against these rivals

There is a lot to find on ratings with Brighterdaysahead

Star rating:

Bet on Breagagh with Copybet

6 Miss Fourie

• Age: 7
• Weight: 10st 8lb
• Form: 574261
• Rating: 123
• Jockey: Jake Coen
• Trainer: Peter Fahey

Don’t be surprised if Miss Fourie run a big race here, even against this kind of opposition.

She comes in here on the back of a clear career best when beating a decent-looking field in the GMIB Handicap Hurdle at Killarney in August.

Miss Fourie came ten lengths clear of 140 rate Mighty Tom and did it with ease.

She hasn’t been seen since so this must have been pencilled in after that win.

This marks a big step up in class today, but she has earned the right to crack at it after her last performance.

If she can keep progressing, she could start to climb the ranks this season. This looks a step too far right now, but she is one for the notebook for the coming season.

Comes in here on the back of a career-best

Need even more to mix it with the top two

Star rating:

Bet on Miss Fourie with SBK

Bottlegreen Hurdle Verdict

This is a great race to set us up for a cracking weekend of horse racing, and I would be massively disappointed if BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD couldn’t get the job done here.

The trip is not ideal, but she should have far too much for her five rivals.

If on a going day, Daddy Long Legs should be the one to follow her home.

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