hopefully I'll have a choice to make between him and Impaire Et Passe

Paul Townend believes State Man may have underperformed when nine lengths shy of Constitution Hill at Cheltenham in March as he looks forward to being reunited in Saturday's Morgiana Hurdle (2.35) with Ireland's number-one hope of beating the superstar performer.

The six-time champion jockey, who will also be reunited with last season's magnificent Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs on Sunday, is keenly aware of the gap that has to be bridged, but is not ready to accept it is a forlorn quest just yet and is clinging to the possibility the Irish Champion Hurdle winner, who has won five Grade 1s in all, might not have brought his A-game to the Cotswolds.

State Man bounced back readily at Punchestown when clearing away from stablemate Vauban by three lengths and his defeat behind Constitution Hill remains his only one in eight completed starts for Willie Mullins.

The six-year-old is set to make his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 1 at Punchestown, in which stablemate Echoes In Rain and the Gordon Elliott-trained pair Pied Piper and Fils D'Oudairies will provide the opposition. State Man took last season's running stylishly en route to a prolific campaign in which he landed four Grade 1s and established himself as comfortably the best two-mile hurdler in Ireland.

"He had a brilliant season last year bar Cheltenham and I suppose he is the standard bearer on this side of the pond at the moment," said Townend. "It's exciting to get him out as he's a horse I like a lot so I'm always excited when I get the leg up on him.

"I thought he underperformed at Cheltenham although whether he would have beaten Constitution Hill or not is a fair stretch. He underperformed a little bit through his form with Vauban and his win when he went back to Punchestown but maybe he was just finding it hard work following Constitution Hill.

State Man proves no match for the mighty Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle in March

"Hopefully I'll have a choice to make if we keep him and Impaire Et Passe right. We've been in this position a couple of times before and come the time we haven't had to make that choice so touch wood we have a decision to make when the time comes."

Some of Closutton's brightest stars will begin to emerge this weekend at Punchestown and Townend also has last season's exceptional Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs to look forward in Sunday's John Durkan Chase (2.30).

The seven-year-old bolted up in last year's running before putting in imperious displays at Leopardstown and Cheltenham but he has Fastorslow to contend with this time around.

Martin Brassil's star denied Mullins' charge of a memorable treble last season in the Punchestown Gold Cup and Townend said: "Galopin Des Champs is taking on Fastorslow again and he's going there in as good a form as ours are this time of year. I felt he underperformed at Punchestown on the back of an extraordinary run at Cheltenham.

"I don't think Sizing John gets the credit he deserves for doing all three, especially coming back from Cheltenham to win at Punchestown. It's very hard to do. Galopin is ready to rock and hopefully he can be as good this season as he was last season."

Anticipation is also high ahead of Gaelic Warrior's debut over fences in the 2m3f beginners' chase on Saturday after he won by ten lengths in the 3m Grade 1 novice hurdle at Punchestown last time.

The five-year-old was beaten six and a half lengths into second by stablemate Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham before his spectacular Punchestown effort and Townend is excited to see what he is capable of this season.

"Gaelic Warrior is exciting and his schooling has gone well. It was a monster performance at Punchestown over three miles after running into Impaire Et Passe, who looks to be very special, at Cheltenham.

"He has a lot of experience for a relatively young horse from his juvenile season and his runs in France. He won a very competitive handicap over two miles and he put up that performance at Punchestown over three miles but those good horses can mix it between distances."

William Hill: 1-3 State Man, 9-2 Echoes In Rain, 7 Pied Piper, 40 Fils D'Oudairies

William Hill: 4-9 Galopin Des Champs, 7-2 Fastorslow, 7 Blue Lord, 14 Appreciate It, Conflated, Asterion Forlonge, French Dynamite, 20 Stattler, Farouk D'Alene

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