How did she do it? Keith Melrose examines Honeysuckle's win in the Mares' Hurdle

In the final instalment of our series, betting editor Keith Melrose takes a closer inspection of Honeysuckle's win over Benie Des Dieux in the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle.

It seemed perverse the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle attracted a hotly anticipated clash between Benie Des Dieux and Honeysuckle that might as well have taken place in the Champion Hurdle on the same afternoon.

As it happened, the Mares' Hurdle was one of the few races at the Cheltenham Festival that truly lived up to its billing. It would have been anticipated Benie Des Dieux, as winner of the Grand Course de Haies d'Auteuil (French Champion Hurdle, over 3m1½f), would hold sway in a race that tested stamina, while the more emphasis on speed the better for Irish Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle.