Paul Hennessy favouring Mares' Hurdle for 'our Honeysuckle' Heaven Help Us

Heaven Help Us has the option of defending her Coral Cup crown next month but trainer Paul Hennessy is leaning towards a Cheltenham rematch with Royal Kahala and Telmesomethinggirl for his stable star in the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle.

Despite her odds of 33-1, there were few more popular winners at last season's Cheltenham Festival than the John Turner-owned mare, who blitzed her rivals from the front off a British mark of 138 under Richard Condon.

Given her potentially attractive Irish rating of 140, connections could have been tempted to stick to handicap company at the big meeting, albeit she will almost certainly compete off a higher mark in Britain.

However, the ambitious team are set to roll the dice by contesting top-level company on the opening day of the meeting, with Heaven Help Us priced between 6-1 and 12-1 to land the Mares' Hurdle.

Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle: full entries and betting

Hennessy, who is best known as a talented trainer of greyhounds, said: "She's entered for the Mares' Hurdle and she'll also have an entry for the Coral Cup again. We're probably favouring the Mares' Hurdle at the moment.

Heaven Help Us: landed extremely competitive mares' handicap hurdle at last season's Dublin Racing FestivalCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

"You can go in against other mares who she's run well against already. Her Leopardstown run at Christmas was super when splitting Royal Kahala and Telmesomethinggirl, who I know the weights will suit better next time. There's a lovely bunch of good mares there and our one thankfully seems to be in and around the same ballpark."

Hennessy wasn't at all disheartened by his homebred's effort when trailing the five-runner Irish Champion Hurdle field earlier this month and believes unbeaten winner Honeysuckle is among the best mares he has seen.

It appears likely Heaven Help Us will follow the path taken by last year's Mares' Hurdle winner Black Tears by warming up in the Grade 3 Quevega Mares Hurdle at Punchestown on February 23.

"It was a great honour to be in a race with Honeysuckle," said Hennessy.

"She's as good as you'll see and thank God we didn't get in her way or anything! Heaven Help Us is our kind of Honeysuckle."

He added: "Our mare weighed 513 kilograms going into the race, and we weighed her a day after only to find she was 512 kilograms. It took nothing out of her and she could go to the Quevega Mares Hurdle next.

"She may just need another run because she's very strong in herself. She always takes her racing well and generally never turns a hair. She's very fit."

Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle

bet365: 7-2 Telmesomethinggirl, 5 Royal Kahala, Stormy Ireland, 10 Burning Victory, Martello Sky, Concertista, 12 Mrs Milner, Heaven Help Us, 14 bar

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