Honeysuckle magic glorious and overwhelming proof festival's mares' races belong on the biggest stage

As the field for the Mares' Hurdle started the descent down the hill at Cheltenham last week, commentator Ian Bartlett described the contest as "probably the best mares' race ever run".

It was a ringing endorsement of the improvement brought about by the mares' programme since the race was first run in 2008. Honeysuckle's victory concluded a remarkable hour on the first day of the festival, but if some critics had their way her race would never have taken place.

There are plenty of people who do not like the Mares' Hurdle taking place at the meeting and would prefer it to be run at Cheltenham later in the spring, if at all, as they believe it detracts from the Champion Hurdle on the same day by tempting potential runners away from the main event. This year Constitution Hill was a far more compelling reason for potential Champion Hurdle runners to head elsewhere but, putting that to one side, the Mares' Hurdle has been doing its job not only as the ultimate goal of an enhanced mares' programme but it has also helped to enhance a hurdling division which is considerably weaker than it once was.