State Man can make a Festival statement

STATE MAN looks sure to land a first victory in the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (GBB Race) on the opening day of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.

- CHRIS WRIGHT

With reigning champ, the peerless Constitution Hill, not able to defend his crown following a bad scope and lacklustre work last week, Willie Mullins' seven-year-old looks to have an almost free run of going one better than last year and landing the feature on the first day.

It is likely to be another successful week for Irish champion trainer Mullins and he has the favourites in three of the four championship contests over the four days. State Man can get him off to the perfect start with victory in the first.

Since falling on his hurdling debut at Leopardstown in December 2021, the seven-year-old has only been beaten once in 11 starts and that was by the mighty Constitution Hill in last year's Champion Hurdle. He won the County Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival but has since run only in Grade One company, winning eight of nine at the top level including back-to-back wins in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown and similar doubles in the Morgiana Hurdle and Matheson Hurdle.

It would have been a good matchup taking on Constitution Hill again but without him this slick, quick hurdler can bring up a ninth Grade One victory.