Brighterdaysahead is set for an Irish Champion Hurdle rematch with Lossiemouth at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The apple of Gordon Elliott's eye made a pleasing return to action in the December Hurdle at Leopardstown, finishing just a length adrift Lossiemouth after a strong late challenge was repelled.
The six-year-old was making her first appearance following two sub-par efforts at Cheltenham and Punchestown in the spring which no doubt revealed a number of physical issues.
She looked in fabulous order for Monday's Grade 1 though and is entitled to improve more than any for that run, setting up another ding-dong with the winner at this venue next month.
Elliott told Racing TV's Joshua Stacey: "Absolutely delighted. She jumped well, travelled, galloped up to the line.
"Lossiemouth is a superstar, Jack was very happy. He said she took a good blow and she should come on plenty for it.
"We'd liked to have ridden her more positively but with it being her first run since Punchestown last year and missing a good bit of time, we said we wouldn't do that."
Brighterdaysahead was cut from 25/1 to 16/1 for the Champion Hurdle and 8/1 to 5/1 for the Mares' Hurdle.
The Dublin Racing Festival will likely decide the Cheltenham routes for both Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth, with the winner entitled to a crack at the big one.
Alarm bells rang over Brighterdaysahead's preparation for the race, originally due to go over fences this season before meeting a small setback.
Elliott decided it was too late in the year to go chasing so she's back over hurdles for the time being and appeared every inch the Brighterdaysahead we enjoyed at the end of 2024.
Keeping her sound is going to be of utmost importance but she clearly hasn't lost any ability and that was a taking performance against a race-fit Lossiemouth.
Her heroics in this race last year, trouncing State Man by over 31 lengths and coming home alone, was without question one of the most impressive wins in recent history.
Brighterdaysahead's achilles heel is her struggle to stay at peak fitness consistently, picking up an injury in the Champion Hurdle earlier this year and she evidently wasn't right at Punchestown.
The two-mile feature on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival has to be on the cards again if she wins the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The mare by Kapgarde hasn't enjoyed any success at Cheltenham to date, beaten by Golden Ace in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle in 2024 but there's no reason to give up on that dream just yet.