Elliott's Brighterdaysahead wins Aintree Hurdle
Brighterdaysahead powered to victory in the Aintree Hurdle as Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy secured two wins on the first day of the Grand National meeting. With last year's winner, Lossiemouth, skipping the race, the Elliott-trained Brighterdayshead went off the 13-8 favourite. Potters Charm led for most of the race but jockey Kennedy steered Brighterdaysahead into the lead as they turned for home.
The New Lion looked to be challenging the eventual winner but the Dan Skelton horse made a mistake at the final hurdle and Brighterdaysahead finished two and a quarter lengths clear. Kennedy told ITV that he "adores" his winning mare: "She is a great mare. "She lost nothing in defeat in the Champion Hurdle [at the Cheltenham Festival] - she got beaten by another superstar.
It is lovely for her to come here and get the job done. "Stepping up in trip, she was probably doing a little bit more than I wanted today but she is a strong stayer so I was happy to let her roll. She jumped great.
"She is incredibly quick and she is a very slick hurdler for a very big mare. She can make up plenty of ground at a hurdle. " Elliott added: "She's a champion.
This is probably her trip. She was awesome. "I was nervous but it was easy to watch.