State Man shows his class to land Champion Hurdle glory
Paul Townend celebrates winning The Boodles Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) with State Man. Photos: INPHO/Morgan Treacy
It was labelled as the race of the 2025 Punchestown Festival as the past three winners of the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, Constitution Hill, State Man, and Golden Ace, lined up in the Boodles Champion Hurdle, as a crowd of 42,178 watched State Man land the Grade 1 feature for a third time.
Making all the running in the hands of jockey Paul Townend, the unlucky last flight faller in the 2025 renewal at Cheltenham made light work of the opposition with Constitution Hill finishing a disappointing fifth and Golden Ace coming a four-and-three-quarters lengths second behind the winner.
For Constitution Hill, he was on his toes before starter Paddy Graffin left the six-runner field off and after jumping high for new jockey James Bowen, things were far from rosy from there on in for the Nicky Henderson trained former champion.
As Townend set the fractions on State Man, he jumped from hurdle to hurdle, and by the time Constitution Hill made a mess of the third last flight of hurdles, the writing was already on the wall as the Willie Mullins front runners always held the upper hand.
He was in cruise control approaching the final hurdle, and after measuring it perfectly, he eased clear on the run to the finish to lead home Golden Ace and County Hurdle winner Kargese to land a third win on the bounce in Friday’s feature.
“State Man does what State Man does,” beamed trainer Willie Mullins after the race. “It’s the performance we always thought he had in him. In fairness to Constitution Hill, I don’t think he turned up on the day.
“Our fella has run his true race and that’s been a constant thing in his racing life, he always turns up and runs his race. It was a huge performance.
“He’s just very genuine without ever being flashy. The cheekpieces have made him a bit flashier than he used to be. He’s a lazy horse and cheekpieces just help him.
“Paul has been adamant about this horse for the last few years, people are going on about Lossiemouth and State Man – he’s always thought State Man every day of the week and it’s been proven.
“I think we were all waiting for this contest and it delivered. We’re just delighted.”
After landing the Paddy Power Mares Chase at Cheltenham back in March, Dinoblue (4/7) made it win number ten for Willie Mullins for the week when making light work of the opposition to win the Hanlon Concrete Irish EBF Glencarraig Lady Francis Flood Mares Chase.
Stablemate Allegorie De Vassey, who fell at the final fence when the pair clashed across the water, took it up from the jump of the flag, but jumped right for much of the journey, and with Mark Walsh taking a wide course on Dinoblue, he didn’t have a moment's worry.
Striking the front after the fourth last, the JP McManus owned eight-year-old mare, eased to the front off the home turn to romp to a 35-length success with Allegorie, in her final race following retirement, finishing in second spot.
Willie Mullins commented afterwards. “She was very good today. I was hoping that Allegorie might get her own back on her after Cheltenham, but it wasn’t going to be that way today,. Dinoblue looks to be getting better and better, and hopefully, we have her for next season. I don’t see her going to stud for a while yet.”
Final Demand produced a stunning display from the front to be the second leg of the Willie Mullins treble when he put his rivals to the sword with an impeccable round of jumping to run out a facile winner of the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle.
Following victories at Limerick and the Dublin Racing Festival, the Bryan Drew and Professor Caroline Tisdall owned six-year-old could only finish third at the Cheltenham Festival, but he showed his class with an all-the-way success to run out 16 lengths clear of Lovely Hurling.
The Yellow Clay, who was sent off favourite for the race and finished in front of Final Demand at Cheltenham, was well beaten when he took a heavy fall at the last, and there was much relief from the crowd when he rose to his feet.
Commenting afterwards, Willie Mullins said: “It was an awesome performance over that trip. Paul felt he didn’t go fast enough in Cheltenham, and he said to Caroline (Tisdall, owner) ‘Today I’m going to show him off.’ “I saw him jumping the first and second, and I wasn’t happy until he jumped the third, that he was jumping well. Then he was electric over a few of his hurdles, for a big chaser to jump the way he did – he was getting lengths at his hurdles when it mattered.
“I thought he was going to tire around the fifth-last or fourth-last after the pace, but then he’d go down to the hurdle and just take a length out of a horse behind him. If you can jump fences like that he’s one to look forward to.”
