Constitution Hill faces just four rivals in Saturday's Unibet Hurdle after Lossiemouth did not feature among the final declarations.
Speaking at a Dublin Racing Festival press visit to Closutton on Wednesday, Lossiemouth's trainer Willie Mullins confirmed a late call would be made over the mare's Cheltenham participation this weekend and it's become clear that the Irish Champion Hurdle is to be her next assignment.
“She’ll go for the Irish Champion Hurdle,” said Mullins.
"I thought we’ve been preparing her for two years for the Champion Hurdle and I wasn’t sure that another trip across the Irish Sea would suit with the weather closing in and the forecast.
"There were going to be travel complications and we didn’t need that. It’s better to stay at home and I’m happy enough to go to Leopardstown."
Lossiemouth's absence leaves the Christmas Hurdle winner Constitution Hill with a seemingly straightforward task in his final prep run ahead of the Unibet Champion Hurdle in March, Nicky Henderson's stable star one of five runners alongside Harry Derham's Brentford Hope, Gordon Elliott's Fils d'Oudairies, Dan Skelton's Joyeux Machin and 125-rated Spirits Bay from the yard of Nigel Twiston-Davies.
On the absence of Constitution Hill’s big rival, Henderson said: “There’s no Lossiemouth and a bit of me was looking forward to another race against her and another bit was hoping she wouldn’t come.
“The ground isn’t a concern, but the weather is from Cheltenham’s point of view.
“There was enough said about last year, so we’re going to make up for it if we can."
Paddy Power make Constitution Hill their 1/10 favourite for Saturday's race, with Brentford Hope considered the next best at 13/2. It is 40/1 bar the top two.
Elsewhere on the Festival Trials Day card, Mullins has also opted not to travel with last year's winner Capodanno in the Betfair Cotswold Chase. Dashel Drasher and Ga Law, who takes up his engagement in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle instead, were the others to not stand their ground on Thursday morning.
The Cotswold betting is headed by L'Homme Presse, third last time out in the King George at Kempton, while he faces Stage Star, Chantry House, Tommie Beau and the Irish pair of Gentlemansgame (Mouse Morris) and Delta Work (Gordon Elliott).
Others in line for the Betfair-backed Cleeve include Crambo, Strong Leader, Gowel Road and Monmiral, while James Owen's highly promising juvenile East India Dock tops a fascinating field of 10 in the opening JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle which also features French imports Sauvignon (Paul Nicholls) and Mambonumberfive (Ben Pauling).
Happygolucky makes his debut for new trainer Mel Rowley on his first run for 683 days in the 11-strong Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase where he faces the Philip Hobbs and Johnson White-trained novice Imperial Saint and Grand National hope Iroko from the yard of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
Greenall and Guerriero run two in the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase, with Jagwar, the mount of Jonjo O'Neill junior, joined by stable companion Billytherealbigred under Henry Brooke. Masaccio (Alan King), Resplendent Grey (Olly Murphy) and Twiston-Davies' experienced nine-year-old Guard Your Dream have also been declared for what is typically a highly informative event.
The concluding Ais Novices' Hurdle sees the Twiston-Davies-trained Potters Charm look to extend his unbeaten run and he'll face Nicholls' Quebecois and Bill Joyce from the Jonjo and AJ O'Neill stable.
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