STATE MAN CONTINUED his march towards a likely clash with Constitution Hill at the Cheltenham Festival in March with a comprehensive victory in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill is long odds-on to lift the Champion Hurdle crown in March following his latest demolition job in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

And while connections of the unbeaten five-year-old are unlikely to be quaking in their boots, State Man gave further evidence he may well prove his biggest threat with an authoritative display.

A well-backed winner of the County Hurdle in the Cotswolds last season and successful on his reappearance in last month’s Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, State Man lined up as one of three runners for Willie Mullins in the feature event on day four of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.

Sharjah, ridden by the champion trainer’s son Patrick, was bidding to better hurdling legends Istabraq and Hurricane Fly by winning a remarkable fifth successive Matheson Hurdle, and yet he was only third in the betting at 6-1 behind State Man at 4-6 and his Triumph Hurdle-winning stablemate Vauban at 11-4.

Rank outsider She Is Electric took the field along for much of the two-mile journey, but predictably folded before the home turn, at which stage Paul Townend allowed State Man to stride into the lead.

The strong-travelling Vauban travelled into his slipstream at the top of the straight, but State Man soon found another gear to pull four and a quarter lengths clear.

Connections of Vauban will doubtless take plenty of encouragement from what was his first outing of the season and first start outside of juvenile company, while Sharjah was not disgraced in third.

State Man is unchanged at 4-1 with Coral for the Champion Hurdle, who make Constitution Hill their 2-7 favourite. Vauban, meanwhile, is a 10-1 shot.

State Man could now take on dual Champion Hurdle and three-time Irish Champion Hurdle-winning mare Honeysuckle in the latter contest at February’s Dublin Racing Festival.

Mullins said: “State Man just keeps improving and I think there is more improvement again after today.

“We were discussing where he goes next and the Dublin Racing Festival looks like the plan now.

“Hopefully we don’t get any setbacks, the horses have been coming out of Leopardstown well over the last few days, and we’ll look forward to that and then maybe going over to Cheltenham in March.”

Gaillard Du Mesnil finally enjoyed his day in the sun over fences with a facile victory in the Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

Although winless in six previous outings over the larger obstacles, the dual Grade One-winning hurdler had never finished out of the first three and has been placed three times at the highest level.

With his Drinmore conqueror Mighty Potter a non-runner, Gaillard Du Mesnil was the 5-6 favourite to open his chasing account and ultimately did so in fine style in a race marred by fatal injuries suffered by both Unexpected Depth and Three Stripe Life.

Amirite also unseated Rachael Blackmore, but Gaillard Du Mesnil managed to keep himself out of trouble under a patient ride before pulling seven and a half lengths clear of Churchstonewarrior to provide Willie Mullins and Paul Townend with yet another Grade One success this week.

“He had the experience and he had the rating. He was still a maiden, but we had kept him to good class company all the time and he got his experience against that type of company,” said Mullins.

“Paul said he just flew fences down the back for him. They went very fast and he was even taken off it a bit early on.

“He just glided into the race down the outside, kept out of trouble and kept away from the loose horse (Amirite) the best he could. He just kept jumping and landed in front.

“He deserved a crack at two and a half (miles) last time, though it was a little bit short for him. He probably learned a lot going that pace.

“All that experience counts for a day like today.”

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