State Man made the most of long-time ante-post favourite Constitution Hill’s absence when taking the Unibet Champion Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival today (12 March), going one better than he did in the same race last year.
The seven-year-old, ridden by Paul Townend, trained by Willie Mullins and owned by Mrs J Donnelly, went off 2/5 favourite and justified that, winning by 1¼ lengths over Irish Point, ridden by Jack Kennedy, trained by Gordon Elliott and owned by Robcour.
“He’s a very simple horse to ride,” said Paul. “On the ground I could have probably waited a bit longer but I didn’t doubt his stamina. He’s an old favourite of mine and he deserves a big win like this.
“He’s a champion back home and only Constitution Hill was too good for him last year – he deserves his day in the sun. To add my name to the Champion Hurdle winner list is special.”
Mr Mullins said of State Man’s victory: “I thought Paul would be much more forward on him – I didn’t think he would be fifth jumping the fourth last. He rode with supreme confidence and I never thought he would be that far back and I thought he would be making more use of his stamina. He probably thought the ground would take enough stamina out of the other horses with the [softer] ground.”
Mr Mullins went on to say: “There’s no wow-factor with State Man, but he does what it says on the tin – he’s that type of horse. It’s very hard to be ‘wow’ in that ground, but he’s a good, solid, sound horse and he just gives his running every time. He’s a hardy horse and a tough horse, and a few more like him wouldn’t do any harm.
Trainer Nicky Henderson finished best of the Brits in third with Luccia, ridden by James Bowen and owned by Pump & Plant Services Ltd.
“She’s been great all of the way through – she might be going to stud, but I’ve got to convince [owner] Paul to have another bash. She’s grown up today,” said Mr Henderson, who went on to comment about how Constitution Hill is at home “We’ve got a long, long way to go with him.”
Highland Hunter, ridden by Paddy Brennan, trained by Fergal O’Brien and owned by Nic Brereton and Lindsey Brennan was fatally injured when pulled up in the Ultima Handicap Chase.
- To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
You may also be interested in:
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
