Paul Townend has thrown his weight behind State Man’s chance of joining an elite group in Sunday’s Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Widely expected to opt for Lossiemouth in the €200,000 feature at Sunday’s Dublin Racing Festival, Townend has instead opted to remain loyal to the horse going for a hat-trick of victories in the race.
Just a trio of horse have won the Irish Champion Hurdle three times or more. The legendary Istabraq managed four. Hurricane Fly trumped him with five. Honeysuckle did three-in-a-row between 2020-22.
State Man’s reputation is unlikely to ever compare with any of those. He is famously the horse that did what it said on the tin, notching up 10 Grade One victories in characteristically unflashy style including last season’s championship at Cheltenham.
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What he had never done was throw in an effort like at Christmas when left trailing by Brighteredaysahead and ultimately being unable to hold off his stable companion Winter Fog for second.
Even if some of the Willie Mullins team weren’t quite firing at Christmas it was still a notable blip on an otherwise hugely admirable CV.
Townend’s sticking with State Man, though, and allowing Danny Mullins in for a plum spare ride on Lossiemouth. He rode the mare on her Irish debut over two years ago.
She too has something to prove following her defeat to Constitution Hill at Kempton over Christmas. It is noticeable, though, how keen Mullins has been to put that down to a lack of sharpness in the early stages.
However sluggish she appeared to be early on at Kempton, the bare fact is that Lossiemouth closed the gap on the English superstar to 2½ lengths at the line which was hardly any kind of disgrace.
Should she step up on that, and, as always, the 7lb sex allowance will be a help, Lossiemouth may prove her regular rider wrong.
Townend’s calls for two of Sunday’s other Grade One contests appear to have been comparatively straightforward.
Six of the 10 runners for the Tattersalls Novice Hurdle are Mullins-trained as he pursues a 12th victory in 13 years in the race. Il Etait Temps in 2023 wasn’t first pick but there seems little doubt that Kopek Des Bordes is a particularly highly rated stable number one this time.
He did a lot wrong in a maiden at Christmas where his jumping was notably ragged. That he still managed to win and beat a highly promising type in Kawaboomga, underlines how big an engine there is if his jumping sharpens up.
Ballyburn landed the Tattersalls a year ago as part of a superb novice campaign that left the chasing world apparently at his feet.
A sound debut over fences was followed by a reality check at Kempton when thoughts he might be able to keep tabs on Sir Gino proved well off the mark.
Mullins hasn’t hesitated to up Ballyburn in trip for the Ladbrokes Novice Chase where he runs Champ Kiely too, and also Impaire Et Passe.
Sandown’s Scilly Isles looked an obvious top-flight alternative for Impaire Et Passe who impressed in his Grade One victory at Limerick over Christmas. He appears to have kicked on over fences and the decision to stay at home looks significant.
Reigning two-mile champion Captain Guinness is an outsider for the Dublin Chase where Townend is reunited with Gaelic Warrior.
Solness put him and others to the sword with a surprise success at Christmas although with that effort under his belt, Gaelic Warrior and Townend can put themselves to the forefront of the challenge to Jonbon at Cheltenham next month.
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