PartialLogo
Cheltenham Festival
premium

State Man left with a golden opportunity to land deserved first Champion Hurdle - the rest need a miracle

It hardly comes as any surprise that Constitution Hill won't make the Champion Hurdle line-up after his lacklustre work last week, and his absence now provides State Man with a golden opportunity to land a first Champion Hurdle. There won't be a more deserving winner.

His biggest danger probably resides in his own stable in Lossiemouth, but it's hard to believe trainer Willie Mullins is about to perform an 11th-hour U-turn and reroute his Mares' Hurdle favourite.

Mullins usually cuts his cloth to give himself as many winners as possible and, given he is chasing a festival century, he will surely want to get off to a flyer. Two odds-on favourites on the first day is better than one.

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock
  • Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
  • Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
  • Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
  • Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
  • Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
  • Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Subscribe

Already a subscriber?Log in

Deputy betting editor

Published on inCheltenham Festival

Last updated

iconCopy