Magic Morgiana in store as State Man attempts to repel new challenger Brighterdaysahead

As State Man bids to emulate the great Hurricane Fly by landing a third successive Morgiana, he undoubtedly faces his tallest order since taking on Constitution Hill in the 2023 Champion Hurdle as supremely talented mare Brighterdaysahead lines up to take a swing at him.

A winner of ten Grade 1s, it is well documented how much of a model of consistency State Man is, and no hurdler apart from Nicky Henderson's superstar has ever troubled him to any meaningful degree.

Last season's Champion Hurdle winner has had little bother in swatting away Echoes In Rain and Sharjah in the last two runnings of the race. Other new challengers emerged last season, most notably Impaire Et Passe, Bob Olinger and Irish Point, but they could not lay a glove on him.

State Man will run to a level Brighterdaysahead has not got near on a racecourse, but there is not a great deal to suggest she can't reach it, which makes odds of 1-3 a risky proposition.

Some would argue we witnessed State Man's limitations when he was beaten nine lengths by Constitution Hill, but I'm far from convinced we saw the real State Man on that occasion so it's a question of what else he has in the tank.

Lossiemouth on her way to winning the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham last seasonCredit: Michael Steele (Getty Images)

Brighterdaysahead cannot be underestimated as the team at Cullentra have always held her in the highest regard, and she showed why when bolting up against the boys in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree last season.

She put in a very pleasing comeback run when landing the Bottlegreen Hurdle at Down Royal earlier this month, with the reopposing Daddy Long Legs well behind in third.

Only a five-year-old, there's no establishing her ceiling with any certainty, but I would be slightly concerned about her ability to deal with these elite two-mile hurdlers.

The Kapgarde mare has plenty of gears, but she's won over 2m5f on heavy ground and suffered her only defeat in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle last season due to it developing into a sprint, so she may find this test a touch sharp.

There is no doubting her talent but there can be a few niggling doubts as to whether she's equipped for this particular assignment.

Of the other contenders, Sir Gerhard is a reasonably interesting outsider given the eight runners. He's not short on talent, best evidenced by his very impressive success in the Ballymore at Cheltenham in 2022 and will be more comfortable over this trip than the ones he tackled on a few occasions last season. However, the top three in the market are seemingly well clear of the field.

What they say

Willie Mullins, trainer of State Man, Daddy Long Legs, Sir Gerhard and Winter Fog
We're going to stick to the tried-and-tested route with State Man, which means the Morgiana followed by Leopardstown at Christmas then the Irish Champion Hurdle, followed by Cheltenham and Punchestown. He always turns up and gets the job done, and hopefully that will be the case again next year. He seems well and I'm happy with him. Sir Gerhard will mix it between hurdles and fences this season. He will stay mainly over hurdles, but if the right race came up for him over fences, we wouldn't be afraid to have a go. Daddy Long Legs is not easy to place as he's off the sort of mark that leaves him stuck between a rock and a hard place. Winter Fog is a good, consistent sort who seems in good form.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Brighterdaysahead
We're going to know where we stand after this anyway and it will tell us what direction to go with her, whether she's a Champion Hurdle mare or whether she's one for the Mares' Hurdle. You'd have to be delighted with what she did at Down Royal. She seems to have come forward nicely since then, too. I'm under no illusions whatsoever, it's a seriously hot race and we're going to have to improve an awful lot to get involved, but we do like her a lot.

Saturday previews:​

12.30 Punchestown: Ballyburn out to emulate Gaelic Warrior, Faugheen and Champagne Fever with chase debut victory at Punchestown 

2.30 Haydock: 'I didn't expect to be coming here' - Dan Skelton on his three runners in valuable staying handicap hurdle 

2.45 Ascot: 'He's been trained for the race and he escapes a penalty' - who has big hopes of landing the Ascot Hurdle? 

3.05 Haydock: 'I'd love to come away with a genuine Gold Cup horse' - Dan Skelton excited for Grey Dawning's Betfair Chase challenge 

3.20 Ascot: 'If it rains, his chances improve massively' - analysis and key quotes for the Hurst Park Handicap Chase

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