The top-class State Man beats stablemate Impaire Et Passe and strikes for his SEVENTH Grade 1 triumph with a ready success in the Matheson Hurdle, the highlight on day four of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, for jockey Paul Townend, trainer Willie Mullins and owners Joe and Marie Donnelly.
State Man has yet to taste defeat when completing over obstacles in Ireland and last season won the Morgiana Hurdle, the Matheson Hurdle, the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.
The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was no match for Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, though, and while he had made a fine start to the new campaign when successfully defending his Morgiana crown last month, in Impaire Et Passe he faced a new and considerable rival from within his own yard.
The latter was four from four as a novice hurdler last season, a tally which included Grade One wins at Cheltenham and Punchestown, and although he was narrowly beaten on his comeback in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse, plenty expected him to give State Man a real run for his money at Leopardstown.
State Man was a 4-7 favourite to secure back-to-back Matheson wins, with Impaire Et Passe a 7-4 shot, and it was clear rounding the home turn that the defending champion was travelling the better of the pair having taken over from long-time leader Fils D’oudairies.
Impaire Et Passe did respond to Daryl Jacob’s urgings to close the gap, but State Man safely negotiated the final flight and did not look like being caught thereafter, with Paul Townend pushing his mount out to to the line to score comfortably by three and a quarter lengths.
Paddy Power reacted to the result by not only cutting State Man’s Champion Hurdle odds to 4-1 from 5-1, but also trimming Constitution Hill’s price to 1-3 from 2-5. Impaire Et Passe is out to 12-1 from 5-1 with the same firm. #horseracing #horse #horses
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