State Man kicked off where he left off in the spring with a Grade One win at Punchestown, this time providing Willie Mullins with a 12th career Morgiana Hurdle win.
From six initial entries, Ireland’s champion trainer whittled his team down to three of the four runners for Sunday’s feature, the other being Noel Meade’s six-year-old Jesse Evans, and State Man proved up to the test as the odds-on market leader.
The chestnut County Hurdle hero, who went on to win the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle at this track on his final start last season, was ridden by Paul Townend on his toughest test to date, and readily overcame stablemate Sharjah, under the trainer’s son Patrick Mullins, to win by around five lengths.
Mullins' first Morgiana Hurdle winner came courtesy of Padashpan in 1993, since when the likes of Hurricane Flay and Faugheen have struck gold for the master of Closutton.
Sky Bet reacted to the five-year-old State Man's success by cutting him to 6/1 from 9/1 for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, with Paddy Power and Betfair also going 6/1 (from 8s).
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“I was delighted with that, it was a nice start to the season,” said Mullins.
“The race worked out perfectly for him and Paul asked him a nice question down over the last two hurdles. Sharjah had been working well at home and he put him to bed when Paul asked him.
“We wanted to get a good run into him. If he’s going to go down the Champion Hurdle route he needs to be asked those questions.
“He was nicely keen in behind Saldier, he got a good lead and did everything that was asked. Thankfully all the hurdles were left in and he got a bit of practice because he needed it.
“He’s probably not Champion Hurdle class jumping-wise yet but that will come in a bigger field with more competition.
“I think there is plenty of improvement left in him. Looking at that I don’t think Henry (de Bromhead), Michael Buckley (Constitution Hill’s owner) or Nicky Henderson will be too worried, but we’re going to improve too and I think he is the horse that has improvement in him."
When asked if he was ready to tackle Honeysuckle he added: “We’ll be ready when we’re ready!
“She’s obviously going to Fairyhouse (Hatton’s Grace) and we won’t go there. I don’t know whether we’ll meet before the Champion Hurdle. Hopefully we’ll all get there, that’s the main thing.
“We'll try to build him up slowly and have enough experience by the time we get to Cheltenham. I’m looking at Christmas and the Dublin Racing Festival with him. We’ll keep him going, get experience into him and harden him up.”
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