State Man rules roost to bring up Mullins/Townend double

State Man was masterful off the front in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

He had won six hurdle races in-a-row (including four consecutive Grade Ones) before finishing nine-lengths second to Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

It was very much back to winning ways with this display. Pied Piper and Vauban tracked him off the back of two out, but the former cracked into the straight as Vauban was left to try and chase down his stablemate.

State Man kept cranking up the pace approaching the last and had Vanban well off the bridle as the gap widened.

The leader didn't put his best jump in at the final flight, but neither did Vauban. State Man got away from it well and didn't relent as he galloped home to prevail by three lengths from the nicely backed 10/3 runner-up.

Lorna Fowler 's Colonel Mustard ran a cracker in third, beaten nine lengths by the winner.

This brought up a double for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend after Kilcruit s victory in the Grade A novice handicap chase.

Mullins said: “Paul said if nothing was going on he'd make his own running and keep it simple.

“He just missed the last, but Paul said with where he would have had to stand off he just let him fiddle it instead. That's what you want in a hurdler when they are too far back, to go in and fiddle it.

“He's done enough for the season. We'll freshen him up now and get him back to do the same things next season, I hope.

“I can't really see him going over fences, I'd say he'll be a hurdle horse. I don't know whether I need to go out in trip with him.

“He's a horse that still has improvement in him.”

On his run at Cheltenham he said: “Constitution Hill was just brilliant so we were happy to be second and he's going to be hard to beat.”

When it was put to him about the change of tactics today, he added: “I'm not sure we wanted to make the running for Constitution Hill at Cheltenham. If we did that and got beaten we would have said we should have done something different.

“We did what we did and I was happy. Maybe if the opportunity happens next time we might do that. He's well able to do it from the front and I think he's relaxing a lot more now which is a big help."

On Vauban he said: “I think he has huge room for improvement, he's only five. If they hadn't watered the track last night, it was safer to do that, that would have played more into Vauban's court.

“I'd imagine Royal Ascot will be his next port of call. We always intended going for a Flat campaign and mix it with jumping.

“We'll see what happens. It's going to be hard to do a full season jumping, a full season on the Flat and then go back jumping again. We'll see where we are come September.”

Townend said: "He (State Man) has been beating these horses all year and, thankfully, he was able to do it again today.

"As I said when I made it in Leopardstown, I thought he would be better with a lead and probably a bit the same there.

"He just looks to be the best of that bunch.

"I thought Vauban was improving at home, I actually sat on him during the week just to see. They have been coming along together all year and I was probably as hard on this horse as I have been all year. I think they are improving together.

"He just ran into a superstar in Cheltenham.

"Different day, different race and it is brilliant for him and for the owners."

Paddy Power trimmed State Man from 7/1 to 6/1 for the Champion Hurdle.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson