“It was always going to happen some day, that unfortunately is the reality of it,” said a visibly dejected Henry de Bromhead after he watched Honeysuckle suffer the first defeat of her career in her 17th race.

Just under 7,500 people went through the gates at Fairyhouse to see the return of the dual Champion Hurdle winner, who was going for a record-breaking fourth win in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.

She seemed to travel with her usual vigour, and when Rachael Blackmore took her to the front early in the straight, everything was going to script. But, her run faltered shortly after and she had no answer to both Klassical Dream and outsider Teahupoo who fought valiantly to win.

It wasn’t the result the majority wanted and you’d worry now for Honeysuckle, who will turn nine in less than a month. Can she get back to her best?

Given the strength of her finishing effort, it’s a legitimate question to ask, but it’s also worth noting that we can be very quick to retire the great horses prematurely.

Very least

At the very least, Honeysuckle should get the opportunity of a comeback, which will likely be at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown in early February.

A return to two miles and likely quicker ground could help her. You feel Cheltenham should be on the back burner for now. Off the back of Sunday’s result, she was pushed out to 8/1 for the Champion Hurdle, with Nicky Henderson’s hugely promising Constitution Hill tightened to 1/3.

It really was the Gordon Elliott show at Fairyhouse on Sunday. He sent out four of the eight winners, including the Grade 1 Drinmore with Mighty Potter, who must have a huge engine to do what he did from the front in that contest, surviving a few jumping errors along the way.

Elliott nearly won the other Grade 1 as well, but his Irish Point was denied by Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale.

Connell is a fascinating character who made his fortunes working in finance before completely immersing himself in racing, by first owning his horses, then riding them in races himself and now he has a state-of-the-art training base in Nurney, Co Kildare.

Marine Nationale could end up being the first of many Grade 1 winners under his tutelage.