How good is Honeysuckle? Where the mare ranks among the hurdling greats

Honeysuckle made it 14 wins from 14 starts and joined hurdling greats Istabraq and Hurricane Fly when she sealed her third Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday. She's now odds-on to win back-to-back Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham, but where does the queen of Irish jumps racing rank among the all-time superstars and exactly how good is she? We asked a range of experts.

'She's everyone's horse of the moment'

She's right up there with the best and her record alone – to have never been beaten – in itself is unique because, whether it's Istabraq or any of the good hurdlers you can think of, a lot of them tended to get beaten somewhere or have an off-day, unlike her.

She's obviously very talented and Henry de Bromhead brings her to the track in great form, but her record is incredible. You couldn't help but be impressed with her, and whether it's a slow-run race or a fast race it really doesn't seem to matter. She's everyone's horse of the moment and you'd like to own, train or ride her.

Istrabraq was obviously the star when I was first riding. He was the really classy horse who seemed to have it all. I suppose he was probably the best I've seen in my time, and there's the likes of See You Then; there have been loads of top-class hurdlers. I think she's right up there, the fact she could make the running or not and she's not ground dependent. It's very hard to find any reasons why she's going to get beaten and, for me, she's definitely the best of a generation and is right up with the best of them in history.

Richard Johnson: 'I wouldn't think there'll be too many backing against her at Cheltenham'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Something like Hardy Eustace, who won two Champion Hurdles, he was a real tough horse who sort of ground it out and beat me on Rooster Booster, but she has just got that very gritty determination, especially for a mare, and she always finds a bit more and that's nice to watch.

I wouldn't think there'll be too many people backing against her at Cheltenham. I suppose she's like a new Dawn Run of Ireland, really.
Richard Johnson, four-time champion jockey

'This mare is right up there with the greatest'

I see social media calling Rachael 'Queen of Ireland' and that's fine, but I think it's Honeysuckle who's the queen. I just hope she grows to get the recognition she deserves because she's got to be among the best.

I talk about Dawn Run in glowing terms but this mare is right up there with the greatest racehorses we've seen.

Honeysuckle: 'Everyone should appreciate what a horse she is,' says Peter ScudamoreCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

She probably needs a good opponent to come along because she wins so easily. She's so far out in front and winning with such class that she's frightened everything away. To truly be appreciated she probably needs a great opponent, but she's magnificent.

If she wins at Cheltenham, she'll truly get the recognition she deserves and everyone who is a racing fan or in the industry should appreciate what a horse she is and what a privilege it is to see her.
Peter Scudamore, eight-time champion jockey

'She's Brave Inca with a sex allowance'

A two-year reign in which a horse has ascended to the top of the hurdling tree, become public property and recorded a dozen performances on RPRs between 151 and 166 could describe Honeysuckle's career since she won her first Grade 1 at Fairyhouse in 2019. But it could also describe Brave Inca between his fall in the 2005 Aintree Hurdle and the 2007 Punchestown festival.

In fact, purely in ratings terms the comparison would undersell Brave Inca. In that 12-run spell, on six occasions he ran to a higher RPR than Honeysuckle has ever managed. Admittedly that is on bare form and, while the mare wears it with style, Brave Inca always had his hat tipped forward, like a drunken sailor itching for a fight.

Brave Inca (near side): 'With a 7lb allowance, he would have beaten contemporaries like Hardy Eustace, Macs Joy, Harchibald and Sublimity almost without fail' – Keith Melrose

Even Honeysuckle's very best figure, with the extra winning margin she was deemed value for added, is 169. Add her 7lb mares' allowance and she is mixing it with the very best hurdlers of the modern era. Only five performances come in higher than 176, with Istabraq and Faugheen the sole two-milers in the group.

But that 7lb is the ace kept on the bottom of the deck. Even if you believe the mares' allowance works in general, no universal allowance can work in every specific case and Honeysuckle is enough of an outlier – in terms of her consistency as well as her ability – to make a mockery of the system. Her peak RPR of 166 is the 92nd best by a hurdler since 1988.

With a 7lb allowance, Brave Inca would have beaten contemporaries like Hardy Eustace, Macs Joy, Harchibald and Sublimity almost without fail and become a legend of the sport. Take it away from Honeysuckle and her attitude and consistency would make her the primus inter pares in a competitive, if historically substandard, two-mile hurdling division. It would be a genuine role reversal, and all because of one allowance.
Keith Melrose, betting editor

'Ireland is right to cherish this wondermare'

She's certainly one of the best hurdlers I've seen. She's always been very likeable but she surprised me last season with the speed she showed. She blew them away in the 2021 Irish Champion and I thought she was even better in the Champion Hurdle, showing an amazing turn of foot from the turn in.

It's that change of pace, again in evidence on Sunday, that makes her stand out. There have been better jumpers of hurdles, for sure, but there aren't many who match her will to win, and she and Rachael Blackmore are made for each other. It's a wonderful partnership that's great for jump racing, and Ireland is right to cherish this wondermare.
James Hill, tipster

Read these next:

Honeysuckle entering Istabraq and Dawn Run territory, say Irish riding legends (Members' Club)

'I've never experienced that before' – Blackmore and Honeysuckle send crowd wild

David Jennings: shades of Dawn Run as people's champion Honeysuckle gallops into history (Members' Club)

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday