'It's a nice healthy-looking pregnancy' - Honeysuckle in foal to Walk In The Park

Honeysuckle has reached another big step in the next stage of her career after being scanned in foal to Walk In The Park.

The dual Champion Hurdle winner and public favourite was retired after taking her fourth Cheltenham Festival win, and her second in the Mares' Hurdle, in March. Having been let down at trainer Henry de Bromhead's stable, Honeysuckle moved to her owner Kenny Alexander's racing adviser Peter Molony's Rathmore Stud in County Limerick.

It had been well publicised that the Sulamani mare would be visiting Grange Stud's resident Walk In The Park, currently Ireland's most popular commercial sire and responsible for the likes of Douvan and Min, for her maiden cover.

Molony said on Monday: "She’s 16 days covered today and it’s a nice healthy-looking pregnancy. It’s very early days but so far, so good."

Honeysuckle is famed for having a somewhat fiery temperament but Molony explained that she becomes a different character during her downtime and this extended to her visit to Walk In The Park.

"She’s great, she’s been here in the holidays during the summer and she’s always very relaxed, she’s a real sweetie when she’s relaxed and out in the paddock," he said. "It’s just when she’s in training she’d eat you alive!

"With maiden mares you’re always a little bit nervous in case they might kick the stallion or do anything, but she was very well behaved."

Honeysuckle is likely to have another scan at around 42 days to confirm she is still in foal before moving closer to Alexander, who owns New Hall Stud in Ayrshire.

"I think Kenny is very keen to have her progeny born in Scotland, and then if she comes back to an Irish stallion next year she’ll be back here again," said Molony, who added that they are unlikely to wish to find out whether Honeysuckle is carrying a colt or a filly.

"We won’t be selling her or most likely her progeny, so we’ll probably just sit back and wait for what nature gives us."

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