A ‘BATTLE of the ages' is set to rock Sandown on Saturday – when two horses with the same name could lock horns.
One is a Cheltenham Festival superstar who's won close to £1million and is trained by the best in the game for a legendary owner.
The other hasn't won for more than three years, is probably past his peak aged ten and is 100-1 for the same race.
In what could be a nightmare for the commentator, it's Lossiemouth vs Lossiemouth in what punters joked was a ‘battle of the ages'.
The namesakes have both been entered in the Grade 2 bet365 Select Hurdle worth £80,000.
Yet while they have the same name, they couldn't be more different in ability.
‘ Lossiemouth is a multiple Grade 1-winning monster who claimed the Mares' Hurdle in a canter at Cheltenham and backed it up in the Aintree Hurdle.
She has won more than £300,000 this season alone and started her last three races at odds of 8-11 favourite, 4-6 fav and 5-4.
The other Lossiemouth has form figures of 4-4-6-20-10 this season, earnings of just £4,732 and has been sent off as high as 66-1.
Yet a quirk in the naming rules means both could line up under the same name.
Ricci's Lossiemouth was born in France and is registered in that country's stud book.
While Gundry's Grade 2-winning Lossiemouth was bred in Britain, where a joint stud book with Ireland is in operation.
The different juridisctions allow them to race under the same names, much like there has been another Galopin Des Champs running elsewhere in the world.
We'll know for sure whether both line up when declarations are made at 10am on Thursday.
But bookies are in no doubt as to who the favourite is.
Mullins' Lossiemouth is just 15-8 to win, while Gundry's is the outsider of the lot at 100-1.
Horses with the same name competing against each other in the same race has happened before – but it is rare.
As recently as 2020 two horses called Sierra Nevada ran against each other at Gowran Park in Ireland.
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