State Man produced a dominant front-running display to win his third Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown, where Constitution Hill proved a huge disappointment in finishing a well-beaten fifth.
The Grade One contest staged a mouthwatering rematch between the Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson-trained superstars, who both fell in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, with the presence of Jeremy Scott's eventual Champion Hurdle heroine Golden Ace adding further spice.
Despite suffering a second successive fall in the Aintree Hurdle, Constitution Hill was a heavily-supported 8-13 favourite to get back on the winning trail on his first trip to Ireland, but he was a spent force from before the home turned and weakened rapidly out of contention.
In contrast, 9-4 shot State Man – who looked to have a second Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham at his mercy when crashing out at the final obstacle at Prestbury Park in mid-March – continued to pour it on in front under Paul Townend and came home with four and three-quarter lengths in hand over Golden Ace.
State Man led from the front to beat the favourite, Constitution Hill, in the Boodles Champion Hurdle.#rteracing
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Mullins said: "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. It’s very hard to travel from England after having two falls and things just didn’t go right for him.
"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. I think 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."
"I've never lost faith in State Man..." - A delighted Willie Mullins reacts following the Boodles Champion Hurdle victory. #rteracing pic.twitter.com/sfckXRqbW8
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Nicky Henderson vowed to "unravel the mystery" following Constitution Hill's lacklustre display in the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.
The former undisputed king of the two-mile hurdling division arrived for his first run in Ireland since his point-to-point days with something to prove, having fallen when trying to regain his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham and then coming to grief at Aintree.
He was all the rage to get his career back on track as the 8-13 favourite, but there were early warning signs for his supporters as he briefly shied away from the starting tapes and then gave the first flight plenty of air and landed steeply.
The eight-year-old did make some ground in the back straight under James Bowen, who was deputising in the saddle for the sidelined Nico de Boinville, but the Seven Barrows superstar had no more to give from the home turn and eventually trailed home a very lacklustre fifth, beaten 27 lengths.
Henderson said: "It’s disappointing, but it’s a tough game.
"It was sad he had to be beaten that way because you could live with going down in a battle. He was beaten two out and James looked after him.
"Something has obviously gone wrong because that’s not him and our job is to try to unravel the mystery. He’s got such a great mind, nothing worries him, but you can’t look inside his head.
"He’s very uncomplicated, unflustered and his work was good. He was travelling well turning in, but then it was like flicking a switch."
At the request of the raceday stewards, Constitution Hill was examined by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board veterinary officer after the race and was found to be sore and have grazes to his right-hind cannon bone.
The post-race reaction was far more positive from trainer Jeremy Scott, whose stable star Golden Ace proved her shock Champion Hurdle success at Cheltenham was no fluke with a fine effort to finish second to the front-running State Man.
Golden Ace profited from the State Man’s final-flight exit at Prestbury and while she was unable to lay a glove on him in the rematch, Scott was understandably proud of her performance in defeat.
He said: "I’m gutted we weren’t good enough to win, but I’m delighted with her.
"She was staying on at the end and today she probably needed a little bit further, ideally.
"I was so impressed with the way she jumped today, she travelled really well, she just didn’t have that kick that the winner had, but I think the first three have all run very well and it’s quite nice we’ve got as close to State Man as we have, because I rather felt everyone assumed we’d be beaten a mile.
"If you’d had the Cheltenham hill in front of you, that might have just sapped the stamina of State Man, who knows? I feel slightly more vindicated anyway.
"She might not start next season quite so early, but we’ll see how she is in the autumn and take it day by day. I couldn’t be happier with her today anyway, without winning."
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