Willie Mullins hails 'marvellous' State Man as he sets sights on challenging Constitution Hill at Champion Hurdle
STATE MAN was in a league of his own in the Irish Champion Hurdle - now for round two with Constitution Hill.
The seven-year-old completed a clean-sweep for Willie Mullins in the EIGHT Grade 1s at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival.
This much-hyped two-day meeting was launched six years ago in a bid to create a competitive weekend of action in the lead-up to the Cheltenham Festival.
But the £2 million fixture has become a Mullins benefit — and the 20,000 strong crowd did well to stay awake through the parade of Closutton odds-on shots strolling home in their own time.
It’s not Mullins’ fault he has the majority of the best horses in Britain and Ireland in his yard, and there were some notable bubbles burst this weekend from within his own stable.
But in the races where his big guns failed to fire, his second or third string was there to pick up the pieces.
There were no such issues with State Man, though, as he breezed home by five and a half lengths from Bob Olinger, with wayward stablemate Impaire Et Passe held in a distant third.
Mullins was happy with State Man who remains unchanged 7-2 second favourite for the Champion Hurdle with the lesser-spotted Constitution Hill generally 1-3.
Mullins said: "State Man is a marvellous horse and I'm very happy with where we are with him.
"We have to hope we can give Constitution Hill a race, our fellow is doing everything right on the track anyway.
"Nicky Henderson has a great knack of producing them on the big day so it will be tough but we will give it a good go."
And in the previous race, El Fabiolo cantered in at odds of 4-11 in the Grade 1 Dublin Chase, with the bookies trimming him for the Champion Chase.
He is now 4-9 from 1-2 for the big one at Cheltenham with Coral, and it's hard seeing anything beating him in March, with his main danger Jonbon suffering a shock defeat last time.
Mullins said: "It was everything I wanted to see and more. Dinoblue was in tip-top order for this and El Fabiolo beat her emphatically.
"There is no chink in his armour. We will give him an easy few days now before we build him up for Cheltenham, but I was very pleased with that."
The one department Mullins had been lacking in a little this season had been with his novice hurdlers.
That changed when Ballyburn - the first leg of a treble on the day for Paul Townend - eased to victory in his Grade 1.
Ballyburn is now clear favourite at 6-4 for both the Supreme and Baring Bingham, the race formerly known as the Ballymore.
The one blip on the afternoon for Townend came when Gaelic Warrior bombed out in a two-runner race behind his stablemate Fact to File, unseating the rider at the last when well held.
Gaelic Warrior walked onto a horse ambulance after the race to be checked over by vets, and it's now doubtful he will form part of Mullins' Festival squad in five week's time.
Mullins said: "I've always liked Fact to File from the moment he walked through the gates of the yard.
"He's always been a horse who could be anything and he is doing everything right."
