A small piece of history was made last week when, at the Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale, Edith Pelham became the first British trained top lot at a point-to-point auction.
Moreover, the £180,000 bid by Gloucestershire trainer Fergal O'Brien also made the daughter of Blue Bresil, a fluent winner at Sheriff Hutton last month, the most expensive British point-to-point filly or mare.
In such sales, Irish pointers have tended to dominate and, for many years, domestic points have lacked the quality nor indeed the horses of potential that compete in Ireland where many winners of much more competitive maidens are trained very professionally for a sale.
One highly paid lot doesn't change much but at least raises hopes that the vast increase in races for mares in the last ten years or so is beginning to incentivise British breeders.
It will be a long road to fruition and one of the certainties at the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival is that the majority of winners will remain either French or Irish bred.
Last year, the 'scores on the doors' were Ireland 12, France 11, Germany 2 and Great Britain 2.
In the Close Brothers (David Nicholson) Mares Hurdle, there are 23 remaining entries, 11 of which are French bred and eight Irish bred, though with an official rating of 144, Golden Horn's daughter Golden Ace would have a fighting chance among the four Brits if, as seems unlikely, she is diverted from the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Since its inception in 2008, the race has produced some exceptional winners. Quevega was successful a remarkable six times between 2009 and 2014 and the dual Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle (registered as British bred) won it in 2020 and 2023.
Infamously, Annie Power, another future champion, had the race at her mercy when falling at the last in 2015 and, in two weeks' time, last year's winner Lossiemouth will also be aimed at the championship.
These fine winners suggest that the Mares' Hurdle can be an excellent step towards Champion Hurdle glory but, the reverse of that coin, is that some owners and trainers are content to go for the lesser option if it increases their chances of having a Festival winner.
So that the Mares' Hurdle can then potentially weaken the field for the Champion Hurdle.
There is the possibility of this happening in two weeks' time as Brighterdaysahead, the 4/1 second favourite behind Constitution Hill for the Champion, has not been ruled out of a much easier task in the Mares' for which she would likely start close to odds-on.
Last week, in a fairly rare foray on Elon Musk's media outlet, I suggested that Brighterdaysahead, Lossiemouth and Golden Ace should all be running in the Champion Hurdle as, by comparison, the Mares' Hurdle is "small potatoes" and should have a rating ceiling to prevent Champion Hurdle horses from running in it.
As the 'Mares' is a Grade One, it was wrong of me to suggest a rating band but, when Whiteoak won the inaugural running in 2008, the runners carried different weights as the race was installed as a Grade Two and penalties and allowances were included in the race conditions.
That disincentive for Champion Hurdle-class performers to run in the Mares' Hurdle could happen again if the race was downgraded but the quality of recent winners (with high ratings to match) will ensure the race remains a Grade One for the time being.
So both races are Grade One but one is considerably more prestigious than the other so it's hardly like comparing apples with apples.
Yet, while the Mares' is over a half mile further than the Champion, there is still this undesirable possibility that one can take away from the other.
Happily, it looks like Lossiemouth and Golden Ace are likely to go for gold but, when one considers that Brighterdaysahead has twice beaten the defending champion State Man this season, it is disconcerting that a crack at the Champion Hurdle seems to be just a probability or even a possibility rather than a definite.
Either that or her sometimes mischievous owners are playing one of their guessing games.
In reply to the tweet, there were a range of opinions. Some felt that, rather than take on a superstar, 'Brighterdays' owners could be forgiven for switching to the Mares', though others made the point that one should never be frightened of one horse.
Some said win what you can but, on the other hand, shouldn't the best take on the best?
And, one regular correspondent posed the question that, if there had been a Mares' Hurdle back in 1984, would Dawn Run have missed the Champion Hurdle?
Another, not unrelated, point which might stimulate some discussion is that it is surely questionable that a mare of a certain age, an age when she does not qualify for 'weight-for-age", should still receive her 7lb sex allowance in a Grade One jumps race like the Champion Hurdle.
It has long been my suspicion that, once fully mature, a proven, talented mare can be at an advantage getting so much weight from her male rivals.
However, if forced to race on level or reduced terms in the Champion Hurdle, for example, most mares would probably run in the Mares' Hurdle, and so round and round we go.....
I feel a headache coming on.
Ultimately, these issues can be resolved if the Mares' Hurdle is scrapped or, better, run at a different time of the year. Good idea?
Pass the paracetamol.
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