A FALL SUFFERED by his stablemate Lossiemouth allowed State Man to come home in splendid isolation and claim his third victory in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The feature event on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival was billed as a straight shootout between the Willie Mullins-trained duo, with Lossiemouth the marginal favourite at 8/11 after finishing behind the brilliant Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
State Man (5/4) had also come up short over the festive period, finishing a distant third behind Brighterdaysahead, but Paul Townend kept the faith in the reigning champion, allowing Danny Mullins to ride Lossiemouth for the first time since her Irish debut three years ago.
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From flag-fall the big two dominated, with Lossiemouth and State Man quickly building up a huge advantage over the other three runners.
The decisive moment came in the back straight as Lossiemouth was still in a narrow lead when she made a bad mistake and fell four flights from home, very nearly bringing down State Man in the process.
Townend kept the partnership intact, however, and the race was effectively over from there as State Man coasted home to beat another Mullins runner, Daddy Long Legs, by six and a half lengths.
Earlier, Ballyburn (8/13f) looked much more comfortable stepping up five furlongs from his previous outing at the minimum trip, when he chased home Sir Gino at Kempton, to grind out victory in the Grade One Ladbrokes Novice Chase.
Having done the business for owner Ronnie Bartlett, Willie Mullins and Townend doubled up in the following Grade One Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, as Kopek Des Bordes (4/5f) tanked around the Dublin venue to win by 13 lengths.
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State Man lands third Irish Champion Hurdle as Lossiemouth makes dramatic exit
A FALL SUFFERED by his stablemate Lossiemouth allowed State Man to come home in splendid isolation and claim his third victory in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The feature event on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival was billed as a straight shootout between the Willie Mullins-trained duo, with Lossiemouth the marginal favourite at 8/11 after finishing behind the brilliant Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
State Man (5/4) had also come up short over the festive period, finishing a distant third behind Brighterdaysahead, but Paul Townend kept the faith in the reigning champion, allowing Danny Mullins to ride Lossiemouth for the first time since her Irish debut three years ago.
From flag-fall the big two dominated, with Lossiemouth and State Man quickly building up a huge advantage over the other three runners.
The decisive moment came in the back straight as Lossiemouth was still in a narrow lead when she made a bad mistake and fell four flights from home, very nearly bringing down State Man in the process.
Townend kept the partnership intact, however, and the race was effectively over from there as State Man coasted home to beat another Mullins runner, Daddy Long Legs, by six and a half lengths.
Earlier, Ballyburn (8/13f) looked much more comfortable stepping up five furlongs from his previous outing at the minimum trip, when he chased home Sir Gino at Kempton, to grind out victory in the Grade One Ladbrokes Novice Chase.
Having done the business for owner Ronnie Bartlett, Willie Mullins and Townend doubled up in the following Grade One Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, as Kopek Des Bordes (4/5f) tanked around the Dublin venue to win by 13 lengths.
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