Pleasure as fan favorite celebrity mare Honeysuckle delivers first foal

Fan favorite twin Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle has safely delivered her first foal.

The filly, by Stroll In The Park, was born at 11.30pm on Good Friday (29 March), and mare and foal are each reported to be “doing nicely”.

Peter Molony, racing supervisor to Honeysuckle’s proprietor Kenny Alexander, shared pictures of “little Honey” on X (previously Twitter).

He mentioned he had a “beautiful welcome” on arriving to go to the pair at stud in Scotland, together with candy photos of the foal.

Honeysuckle bowed out after successful the Mares’ Hurdle on the 2023 Cheltenham Pageant, her thirteenth Grade One victory. It was her fourth consecutive Cheltenham Pageant success and her seventeenth win from 19 begins in a glittering profession, which featured back-to-back Champion Hurdle victories in 2021 and 2022 and greater than £1.4m in prize cash.

The British-bred mare, skilled by Henry de Bromhead, was partnered by jockey Rachael Blackmore in each begin beneath Guidelines. Within the two races she was crushed, she nonetheless by no means completed decrease than third.

Honeysuckle (nearside), on her solution to victory in her closing race on the 2023 Cheltenham Pageant. Credit score: Alamy.

Honeysuckle, who’s by Sulamani and out of Lando mare First Royal, was bred at Glanvilles Stud in Dorset, which is run by Geoffrey Man – additionally a serious occasion horse proprietor/breeder and supporter of the equine world – and Doug and Lucy Proctor.

She is reportedly anticipated to go to Blue Bresil, sire of 2023 Champion Hurdle hero Structure Hill, later this yr.

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H&H senior information author

Lucy is an skilled information journalist, reporter and presenter. Since becoming a member of the Horse & Hound group in 2015, Lucy has reported from main international sporting occasions together with the Tokyo Paralympic Video games and a number of European Championships, in addition to Badminton, Burghley and London, to call a couple of. She has coated present affairs and sports activities information throughout the total spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, in addition to human and equine welfare, business information and courtroom instances.