The Willie Mullins-trained State Man faces just four rivals as he attempts to complete a hat-trick of wins in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday, but it's stablemate Lossiemouth who heads the market for the hurdling feature at the Dublin Racing Festival.
State Man returns to Foxrock on a recovery mission after finishing a lacklustre third behind the brilliant Brighterdaysahead at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Lossiemouth was no match for the returning Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton last time out, with the big two in the market joined by Daddy Long Legs, Winter Fog and Fils d'Oudairies.
Mullins is responsible for three of the eight contenders for the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, with favourite Gaelic Warrior joined by last year's winner El Fabiolo and 2023 victor Gentleman De Mee.
The opposition is headed by Barry Connell's stable star Marine Nationale, who was right on Gaelic Warrior’s tail last time out, while Henry de Bromhead has the Tingle Creek runner-up Quilixios and last year’s Champion Chase hero Captain Guinness in the mix.
Senecia also features in this two-mile-one-furlong Grade One, as does Joseph O’Brien’s Solness, who was a shock winner when beating Gaelic Warrior and Marine Nationale last month.
Ballyburn is the headline act for the the Ladbrokes Novice Chase for Mullins, while Kopek Des Bordes and Kaid d'Authie look the two major players from Closutton in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.
1.10 Ladbrokes Novice Chase (Grade 1) 2m5½f
Arctic Skua Phillip Enright
Ballyburn Paul Townend
Better Days Ahead Danny Gilligan
Champ Kiely Danny Mullins
Croke Park Sam Ewing
Impaire Et Passe JJ Slevin
Prairie Dancer Richie Deegan
1.40 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m
Bleu De Vassy Sam Ewing
Eastern Legend Keith Donoghue
Good And Clever James Bowen
Kaid D'Authie Mark Walsh
Karafon JJ Slevin
Karniquet Patrick Mullins
Kopek Des Bordes Paul Townend
Redemption Day Danny Mullins
Sea Of Sands Brian Hayes
Whinney Hill Danny Gilligan
2.10 Ladbrokes Dublin Chase (Grade 1) 2m
Captain Guinness Darragh O'Keeffe
El Fabiolo JJ Slevin
Gaelic Warrior Paul Townend
Gentleman Du Mee Mark Walsh
Marine Nationale Sean Flanagan
Quilixios Rachael Blackmore
Senecia Phillip Enright
Solness Danny Mullins
3.20 Irish Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m
Daddy Long Legs Sean O'Keeffe
Fils D'Oudairies Sam Ewing
State Man Paul Townend
Winter Fog Patrick Mullins
Lossiemouth Danny Mullins
Watch the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday from 1pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and on Sunday from 1pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
